Joseph T. Cox, the former headmaster of the Haverford School and a decorated 30-year Army veteran, has died at 80. Cox, formerly of Haverford, died Thursday, Oct. 8, of complications from dementia at the Echo Lake assisted living center in Malvern.

Born in Springfield, Mass., Cox joined the Army after college, served in Vietnam and in the United States, and rose to the rank of colonel. He taught English to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., for more than 14 years. Before West Point, he was a ranger and a paratrooper and commanded a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division in Kentucky. He earned the Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars.

In 1998, Cox became the eighth headmaster of the Haverford School, the all-boys school on Lancaster Avenue. Until he retired in 2013, he championed servant leadership, compassion and stronger student engagement. He lived on the school grounds and taught senior English for several years. "I think my being in the classroom sends a message that teaching is the most important part of the school," he told The Inquirer when he was hired.

During his tenure he established a student honor code, a mentorship program and a modern teacher evaluation process, and he oversaw new campus construction. He was a regular presence at sports games and other events. He had the words respect, honesty and courage stamped onto the football team uniforms, and in 2013 he was inducted into the school's athletic Hall of Fame for "special recognition."

Reflecting on the change from military to school leadership in 2011, Cox said: "When I was a battalion commander, I had 660 young men to work with. And then I came [to the Haverford School] and had 893 young men to work with. They have amazing character, and they make [the job] worthwhile." Donors created the Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium in 2010 and the Joseph T. Cox Leadership Scholarship Fund in 2013.

Tributes have followed his death. Former colleagues at the school praised his "extraordinary leadership, his unwavering dedication to Haverford, and the lasting impact he had on generations of Fords." A former student wrote on Facebook: "He had an incredible way of making sure every student knew they mattered." A former West Point cadet wrote that "the world was a better place because of Joe Cox's leadership."

Cox also led in the wider education community. He served as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and secretary of the International Boys' Schools Coalition, and he was active with the Lafayette College Board of Trustees and City Year Philadelphia. After Haverford, he mentored graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education and briefly served as headmaster of the La Jolla Country Day Upper School in San Diego. At West Point, he coached sprint football, served as officer representative to the men's lacrosse team and founded a Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter.

He was also a writer. His 282-page book, The Written Wars: American War Prose Through the Civil War, appeared in 1995, and his 50-page poetry collection, Garden's Close, was published in 2002. Born July 31, 1946, he earned a bachelor's degree in English from Lafayette College in 1968 and later a master's degree and doctorate in 19th-century American literature at the University of North Carolina.

Cox is survived by his wife, Kathy Stevenson, his son, Matt, his daughter, Ansley, and five grandchildren. His former wife, Joanne Shirk, died earlier. "He was extremely compassionate," his son said. "He was a role model. He had standards. You knew what they were, and he would help you get there if you were willing to work."

A celebration of his life is planned for 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the Haverford School, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford. He is to be interred later at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Donations may be made in his name to the Joseph T. Cox Leadership Scholarship Fund at the Haverford School, Attn: Palmer House.