Garysburg on Monday honored the legacy of the late Joseph P. Cotton, naming the town center gymnasium after its renowned native son who excelled on the hardwood as a basketball star and on the baseball diamond as both a high school and collegiate athlete.

Cotton was more than an athlete, Garysburg Mayor Ky’Juan Faison-Mobley said. “Mr. Cotton was born to coach. He was a mentor. He was a role model and offered encouragement to countless young people throughout the community. Through his dedication, he helped to shape not only athletes, but young men and women.”

The mayor said, “The greatest legacy any of us can leave is not bound by titles or accomplishments, but rather by the lives that have been touched. By all accounts, Mr. Cotton leaves behind a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Faison-Mobley told Cotton’s family and friends he hoped the dedication would serve “as a lasting reminder that his contributions have not been forgotten and that his influence will continue to live through every young person who walks through the doors of this gymnasium.”

Georgette Kimball, president of the Halifax-Northampton North Carolina A&T Alumni Association, said Cotton was recognized as a star basketball player as early as the eighth grade. “He was a well-known basketball star at Gumberry High School. He is recognized as one of the best basketball players this area has ever produced.”

He was a loyal Aggie, a graduate of NC A&T, and a charter member of the Halifax-Northampton chapter. “He was proud to help establish this chapter.”

A 1963 graduate of the school in Greensboro, Cotton was a dominant power in the CIAA, Kimball said — not only in basketball, but in baseball, where he pitched the school’s first no-hitter. 

He was a Division II All-American in both sports and was inducted into the Aggies' Hall of Fame.

“The NBA career many people predicted for Joe after college was canceled when he had to go into the military,” she said. “During his tenure in the United States Army, he played basketball worldwide with the Army basketball team and was recognized again as an outstanding player.”

After the Army, he returned to teach and coach in Halifax and Northampton counties for 32 years, retiring in 1992.

He founded the Weldon-Halifax Community Center Project and returned to the public sector as an elected member of the Weldon City Schools Board of Education. “His dream was to create and open doors that inspire all young people within and outside the bi-county to greatness within themselves. Today, Joe Cotton’s dream becomes a reality to open doors for all young people to inspire greatness within themselves. May this facility be used to uplift young people in this community and beyond.”

Douglas Taylor, who is married to Cotton’s daughter Jokale, acknowledged the family members present. “It’s just an incredible honor,” he said. “I was telling my son one of the most important honors you can have is for your peers and your community to recognize you in the way we are doing today. I want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to have this facility named in honor of my father-in-law.”

Taylor said the decision by the Garysburg town board to name the gym in Cotton’s honor was made quickly and unanimously. “It was a vision my wife and I had in terms of honoring our father, and for you guys to also share.”

Cotton was widely respected as a pillar of Garysburg and the surrounding community, Taylor said. “He was deeply committed to uplifting others—especially young people. I was one of those young people many, many years ago. He consistently promoted values of discipline, integrity, and community. Whether through mentorship, encouragement, or just quiet acts of service, his presence left a lasting impression on countless individuals.”

Cotton believed in the power of community spaces, he said, especially recreational and athletic facilities “where teamwork, leadership, and lifelong values are built. It was always his life’s ambition to create an environment where young people could grow, develop, and reach their full potential.”

The recognition not only commemorates Cotton’s life and contributions, “but also stands as a lasting symbol of service, pride, and positive influence for generations to come.”

Cotton knew the hardwood of the gym now named in his honor well, Taylor said.

When Taylor was in the eighth grade, Cotton was 52 and still dominant. “He served as a physical education teacher here at Garysburg Elementary School as well as the basketball coach, where he inspired the lives of so many young athletes.”

Cotton was a diehard Aggie, he said, who told his children they could go to any college they wanted to, as long as it was NC A&T. “As you might expect, they all proudly graduated from A&T. This legacy continues today as three of six grandkids also graduated from A&T. Our daughter is carrying on the tradition, having just completed her freshman year.”

Jokale told the audience, “Anyone who knows our father knows that he cared deeply about you.”

Upon his death, she said many told her stories of her father’s generosity, offering to pay for meals or taking them out to eat. “It’s not always about the things your parents say to you; it’s about those quiet times when they go to people, and the things that they impart upon people that matter the most.”

She said her father and mother, Pat, always taught the children to give back. “Once you step back and you see the fruits of their labor, you understand why God gives them the push to move through.”

It is Jokale and Douglas’s aim “to pour into this gym and see my dad’s dream come true, because ever since I can remember, there’s been talk about having something in the community that can be given to our children and provide an opportunity for them to excel.”