Conrod Cottoy: A Respectful
Son
When
Paula Hayes came to New York from Louisiana in the summer
of 1975, she intended only to have a vacation. But she
met Conrod Cottoy at the First Baptist Church in
Brooklyn; on Valentine's Day 1976, they married.
"He had all the qualities I was looking for," she
said. "He believed in God and education, and he respected
his mother. I never met a man who respected his mother
more than he did. I figured, if he respects his mother,
he respects other women."
Mr. Cottoy, 50, an analyst at Carr Futures, was born
in Trinidad; he had lived in the United States for more
than 30 years and had settled in Brooklyn. He held
degrees in accounting and history, and, like a sponge, he
soaked up knowledge of the world's cultures and
religions. He had traveled the Nile River and visited the
Sphinx and the pyramids.
The couple's four sons knew that if they brought home
low grades, TV would be banned. And they knew that their
father would not sleep until they were all home and
accounted for. His affinity for Africa was evident in the
names he gave his younger sons: Kojo, which means "born
on Monday," and Ngozi, which means "blessing."
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