Mike Cozzi

Mike was born in Hamilton, Ohio in 1915.He played golf every free minute as a young man. He entered Cincinnati College.  Worked in a local paper mill then enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he served as Navigator/Bombardier and flew missions over Germany out of the base in England.  He bailed out of a flaming DELTA REBEL  B-17 and landed in Dortmund, Germany where he was immediately captured  and incarcerated .  He spent 2 and a half years as a Prisoner of War, until released by the Russians in 1945.  He returned to his family who had moved to California and studied acting at Geller Studios. Mike appeared in a few movies and television shows. He married Peggy Walker, a struggling actress with a few film credits (directed by: George Cukor, Otto Preminger, and John Ford.). 

Mike started at CBS  Hollywood on Fountain Avenue, working from the ground up  --pulled cable, stage manager, assistant director and finally Director. He directed: Dusty's Treehouse, five minutes with Johnny Carson, Panorama Pacific, Cavalcade of Books, and educational shows as well as the pre-season Rams games. He and Peggy adopted two children:  Joseph 1960, and Angela 1962.

He continued to direct the Big News nightly newscasts at 6 and 11. Mike received the Golden Mike award as well as many golf trophies from the semi-annual CBS tournaments arranged by Joe Yoklavich..  He took great pride in the Hole-in-one at Brookside in 1987.

Mike retired from CBS after a triple by-pass in 1983..  His health deteriorated with congestive heart failure and arthritis which caused him to be wheelchair-bound for the last two years of his life. 

He died at West Hills Hospital May 24, 2003 and is survived by wife, Peggy, son Joe and daughter Angela and grandson Michael and granddaughter Morgan.  Mike was loved and respected by all his colleagues and is remembered fondly every time his foursome tees off.
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Peggy, (Cozzi)