| Grady C. Cothen | |
| Birth Date: | 2 August 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Poplarville, Mississippi, USA |
| Death Place: | Ridgeland, Mississippi |
| Resting Place: | Roseberry Cemetery in Mascot, Tennessee |
| Alma Mater: | Mississippi College, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary |
| Spouse: | Martha E. "Betty" Major Cothen |
| Children: | Grady Cothen, Jr. Carol C. Shields |
| Parents: | The Reverend and Mrs. J. H. Cothen |
Grady C. Cothen, Sr. (2 August 1920 - 19 May 2017), was a pastor, state convention executive secretary-director for the Southern Baptist Convention, author, university president, and seminary president.
Cothen was born in Poplarville, Mississippi, to the Reverend and Mrs. J. H. Cothen. He married Martha E. (Bettye) Major and had two children; Grady, Jr., Carole Shields.
He attended from Hattiesburg High School, graduated from Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College in Clinton and received his master's degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He was ordained into Baptist ministry in 1939 in Richton, Mississippi.[1] Cothen died on 19 May 2017 in Ridgeland, Mississippi, at the age of ninety-six.[2] [3]
During Cothen's tenure as president the Howard Residence was completed, the Oklahoma Baptist University Authority was incorporated, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accredited all OBU programs, and The Geiger Center for University Life was completed.[4]