Robert Shepard Cotsen ’52

Robert Shepard Cotsen ’52, M.D., passed away in Los Angeles on February 11 in hospice care. Bob was born in South Orange, New Jersey, on January 27, 1931, and graduated from Columbia High School there before enrolling at Dartmouth. At Dartmouth Bob majored in history and graduated cum laude with highest distinction in his major. He was a member of Pi Lambda Phi and a Rufus Choate Scholar. He graduated from Harvard Medical School, class of 1956, and served in the U.S. Air Force as a medical officer before entering in private practice in Buffalo, New York. Bob spent most of his career with the Buffalo Medical Group as a general practitioner specializing in internal medicine and hematology before retiring in 1999. He and his wife, Patricia Maisel, were married in England while he was in the service and they had a loving marriage of 51 years until she passed away in 2010. Bob then moved briefly to Maine and, finally, to California to be with family. He is survived by children Mimi ’86, Sarah ’86, Adam, Brenda and Edward and their families, including 11 grandchildren. Bob was an interesting and unusual person, an avid collector of antique books and maps and was very athletic—jogging and riding his bicycle, even to work. Most important, he was devoted to his family and patients.


Portfolio

Book cover Original Sin with photo of hands over face
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (July/August 2025)
Woman posing with art sculpture
Inspiration in the Adirondacks
Artist Catherine Ross Haskins ’94 transforms an old grain mill into a vibrant arts hub.
Comeback Story

Alumni first returned to campus for official reunions in 1855.

Illustration of woman in movie theater eating popcorn
Katie Silberman ’09
A screenwriter on storytelling in Hollywood

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