Samuel B. Coco

Former President of Cabot Corporation Dies

Samuel Barbin Coco of Wellesley Hills, MA passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 20 at the age of 88.

He was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Barbin Coco, Sr. (Hattie Mae Smith) of Cottonport, LA. After graduating high school he was drafted into the Army in May of 1946 and served in the Philippines for six months before being shipped stateside due to illness. He was a graduate of Louisiana State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1950. He also completed the Senior Management Program at the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

He started working at Cabot Corporation, a Fortune 300 company, in Ville Platte, LA in 1950. He quickly rose through the ranks, moving first to Pampa, TX and then to Akron, OH to the sales office. While in Akron he met and married his late wife, Hannalou John. In 1960 they moved to Wellesley and Sam continued his rise through the company at the headquarters in Boston, ultimately becoming President and Director in 1989. During his tenure with Cabot, Sam was a major contributor to the acquisition and building of manufacturing plants worldwide. He played a key role in building its Carbon Black Division to a position of world dominance resulting in 33% of total world capacity and market share. After his retirement from Cabot in 1991, he started his own ventures, and in 2002 he founded Electrolyzer Corp. with his friend, Donald Harper. Electrolyzer Corp. developed a machine that ionized water, making it a safe and effective non-toxic cleanser. Electrolyzer was acquired by EcoLab, Inc. in 2009.

He also held distinguished roles with prominent civic organizations in and around Boston including: Co-Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital; Trustee Emeritus and President Circle Member, Mass College of Pharmacy; Corporation Member, Partners Healthcare; Overseer, Newton-Wellesley Hospital; Board and Executive Committee Member, Wellesley Community Center; and the Advisory Board for the Town of Wellesley.

Although he lived in Massachusetts for 55 years, Sam was a Southerner at heart. He loved recounting tales of his youth on his parent’s farm in Cottonport. He was also an avid cook and collector of fine wines. For many years, he and his family enjoyed summers in Marina Romea, Italy, where he delighted in the fabulous food and wine of the Emilia-Romagna region and the white sandy beaches of the Adriatic Coast.

He is survived by his two children and their spouses, Harvey and Deborah Coco of Leander, TX, and Bradford and Caroline Hudson of Wellesley Hills, and five adoring grandchildren. He also leaves two siblings, Beverly Brownlee of Davie, FL and Louis K. Coco of Cottonport, LA. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 55 years, Hannalou John Coco, and his sister, Diana C. Zody of Dallas, TX.

A Memorial Service will be held on June 18th at 1:30pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 79 Denton Road, Wellesley, MA.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation, 2014 Washington Street, Newton, MA.