Biographies

William M. Cockrum

William M. Cockrum

Name:
William M. Cockrum

Born:
July 18, 1937

Joined AGB:
1961

Primary Dept/Div:
Executive, Private Investments

Primary Office:
Los Angeles

As of 7/15/1977: William M. Cockrum, Los Angeles, is a senior vice president, director and executive committee member of The Becker Warburg Paribas Group and serves as The Group’s senior officer in the western U.S. He also is a vice president, director and executive committee member of A.G. Becker and a vice president of Warburg Paribas Becker. Bill is senior manager for financial, control and planning functions within The BWP Group and for investment activities. He joined the firm in 1961 and served as a commercial paper and corporate finance manager from 1963 to1971, when he transferred to Los Angeles. He received an A.B. degree with high distinction from DePauw University (1959) and an M.B.A. degree with distinction from Harvard Business School (1961).

Bill was elected a Vice-Chairman of the firm when Wender became CEO and later a member of the Policy Committee. In due course, the management group centered in the New York office. In the meantime, Bill continued to oversee the West Coast operations, the Private Investment Program and the Credit Review System. He stayed with Becker through the acquisition by Merrill, and assisted in the Becker Paribas liquidation. Within months, he was invited by the Dean of the Anderson (Business) School of UCLA to develop and teach a course in Entreprenuerial Finance. He did so and shortly received a permanent appointment. Subsequently he has taught the course for the 113th time over 34 years (as of 2017). Throughout this period, he has also operated a consulting practice serving a range of clients.

Obituary: Living

Board of Directors, A.G.Becker & Co., Inc. 1968-69. Sitting, left to right: Roger Brown, Jim Lewis, Dave Dattelbaum, Harry Weber, James Becker, Irv Sherman, Bill Mabie, Ken Nelson; stanfing left to right: Mac Skall, Steve Weiss, Dave Heller, Bill Cockrum, Burt Weiss, Jack Connor, Al Kopin, John Mabie, and Paul Judy.
Board of Directors, A.G.Becker & Co., Inc. 1970. Sitting, left to right: Ray Ryan, John Mabie, Fred Moss, Roger Brown, Paul Judy, Jack Connor, Dave Peterson, Burt Weiss, Bob Vance; Standing, left to right: Bill Cockrum, Jack Donahue, Mac Skall, Jack Wing, John Levy, and Ray Holland.
Board of Directors, A.G.Becker & Co., Inc. 1973. Front standing, left to right: Stu Gassel, Dan Good, Fred Moss, Ken Nelson, Paul Judy, Ray Holland, Bob Vance; rear standing, left to right: John Levy, Jack Donahue, John Mabie, Bill Cockrum, and Burt Weiss.
Board of Directors, A.G.Becker & Co., Inc. Early 1974. Sitting, left to right: Roger Brown, Bill Cockrum, Mac Skall, Paul Judy, Ken Nelson; standing, left to right: Dave Heller, Fred Moss, John Mabie, Jack Donahue, Al Kopin, Jack Connor, Jack Wing, Ed Dugan, and John Levy.
AGB-WPB Board of Directors, 1980. Standing in front, left to right: Geoffrey Seligman, Jack Hyland, David Scholey, Ira Wender, Pierre Haas, Dan Good, Fred Moss; standing in rear, left to right: Rudy Peterson, Paul Judy, Ronnie Grierson, Francois Morin, Jack Donahue, Michel Francois-Poncet, John Mabie, and Bill Cockrum.
OI#422 Standing, to the left: Wender Moss, and B.Weiss; sitting to the left, Donahue, Cockrum.
OI#456 BWP Board

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