Gary Cozzens

A native New Mexican, Gary Cozzens grew up in Portales where he graduated from Portales High School and Eastern New Mexico University with a double major in History and Political Science. Following college he served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps with a total of 24 years of service, including Operation Desert Storm. He retired as a Major in 1999. Cozzens is currently the manager of the Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln, NM.. He is the former President of the Lincoln County Historical Society and a former board member of Fort Stanton, Inc., Assistant Coordinator of the Lincoln County Site Watch and a member of the Historical Society of New Mexico. Gary and his wife, Shirley Crawford, live on the Nogal Mesa about a mile from where his grandparents homesteaded in 1924.