James Perry Cotton Jr.

James Perry Cotton, Jr, age 83, of Atlanta, GA passed away on July 9th after a long-term illness. Jim was born on April 5th,1939 in Brunswick, GA to James Perry Cotton, Sr and Gene Gibson Cotton, and was their only child. At the age of 5, Jim’s family moved to Moultrie, GA. He was very active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout; at that time, he was the youngest in the state to achieve that rank, and also was awarded with the Order of the Arrow. Jim attended Moultrie High School and was heavily involved in high school sports including swimming, diving, track, and playing running back for the Moultrie Packers. He attended the University of Georgia and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity where he made many life-long friends.

Upon graduation from UGA in 1961, he married Judith Ara Davidson of Thomson, GA and they settled in Atlanta as he started his career at C&S National Bank in the Operations department. They started a family and reared their three sons there until moving to Macon, GA in 1973. Jim was transferred there as the Executive Vice President of C&S Bank, Middle Georgia Operations. In 1976, Jim left C&S to co-found Bank Earnings International (BEI), a bank management consulting business, with his friend and C&S colleague Gerald E. Eickhoff. Deploying an innovative joint venture partnership strategy with diverse firms including Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) and the American Banker, BEI grew rapidly though the 1980’s. BEI became the largest publicly traded bank consulting firm and ultimately was acquired by EDS in 1993. Post acquisition, Jim continued to steward successful entrepreneurial endeavors in the banking industry as an executive, investor and director until his retirement in 2007.

In 1988, Jim was honored with the Terry College of Business Distinguished Alumni award from the University of Georgia, which honors outstanding alumni who have excelled in their careers and make a difference in their respective communities. He was also a member of the Gridiron Secret Society at the University of Georgia. The society was founded in 1908 and has been called “the highest honor a male student may receive on the University of Georgia campus” and recognized as one of the “Top 10 Secret Member’s Clubs” in the world.

Jim was a passionate follower of UGA football and generously hosted family and friends in his skybox on many Saturdays. Jim’s other passions in life centered on the outdoors. He loved to fish and took many trips each year to the St. John’s River near Ocala to catch bluegill, shellcrackers and bass (a tradition that started in the early 1960’s). He also loved to hunt, spending time with good friends in pursuit of quail, duck and pheasants. He also loved the tranquility of cutting the fields around his home on his old Ford tractor. And most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family including five grandchildren who he loved teaching to fish, hunt, drive his old truck, and laugh. Jim was a member of The United Methodist Church. His love of God, country and family was the driving force in his life.

Jim is survived by Judy, his beloved wife of 61 years and their three sons: James Perry (Kim) Cotton III of Atlanta, Steven Collins (Sara) Cotton of Atlanta, and Scott Christopher (Kathryn) Cotton of Mountain Brook, AL. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Caroline Cotton (Corbin) Peeper of Memphis, TN, S. Collins Cotton, Jr. of Atlanta, S. Christopher Cotton, Jr. of Birmingham, AL, Claire Morgan Cotton of Atlanta and Lauren Elizabeth Cotton of Mountain Brook, AL.

A memorial service for Jim will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 16, 2022 in the chapel of H.M. Patterson & Son – Oglethorpe Hill, 4550 Peachtree Road NE Brookhaven, Georgia 30319. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memorial of Jim to the Alzheimer's Association, 8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 400, McLean, VA 22102