WOODCOCK TOWNSHIP — Art Cocolin stepped to the podium in disbelief Thursday night after being named the 2012 Winslow Award winner.

“I can’t believe this,” the 87-year-old restaurateur and community-minded volunteer said quietly.

“If my brother John were here, he’d say it could happen to a nicer guy,” which brought a laugh from the crowd of 175 at the Greater Meadville Area Day dinner at The Country Club.

“I’m humbled and honored,” a misty-eyed Cocolin continued, turning his tone more serious. “I’ll never be able to repay Meadville for what Meadville has done for me.”

Given by the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County, the Winslow Award honors an individual, group, business or industry that has made a significant contribution to economic growth in the greater Meadville area.

The Winslow Award was started by a predecessor organization of the Economic Progress Alliance, the Meadville Area Industrial Commission. The former MAIC initiated the award in 1969 to honor Dr. Harry C. Winslow, an area physician and business leader, on his 85th birthday that year.

Winslow’s business interests included being chairman of the board of the former First National Bank of Meadville; a founder of WMGW-AM; and a vice president and director of Conneaut Lake Park.

Cocolin himself is no stranger to active community involvement — whether with business or civic organizations, Bill Bragg, president of the Economic Progress Alliance, said in presenting the Winslow Award to Cocolin.

A decorated World War II veteran, who parachuted in behind German lines in the hours before the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, Cocolin has been involved in the community since his arrival in Meadville in 1948, Bragg said.

Cocolin and his brother John opened a restaurant called Campus Cove in downtown Meadville in 1948. He and his brother later opened up separate restaurants as they started their own families. Cocolin opened Art’s Restaurant on Park Avenue in the 1950s and has owned the local Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise since 1963.

Over the years, Cocolin has been involved in Little League, Kiwanis, Meadville Area Sports Banquet, WQLN Advisory Board, the United Way, March of Dimes, DARE, Crawford County Crime Stoppers, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Sertoma Club and Women’s Services.

Though in his 80s, Cocolin continues to be involved with other groups, among them Active Aging Inc., the Meadville-Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce, Quality Living Center, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, YMCA, Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), The Country Club of Meadville and the Meadville Medical Center Board of Corporators.

On his own initiative Cocolin started and chaired an annual golf tournament to benefit the March of Dimes, which has raised more than $100,000; and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program which has raised more than $200,000, Bragg said

He also formed a golf committee that raises $18,000 to $25,000 annually for Special Olympics and the YMCA. In addition, Cocolin was a chairperson for the Women’s Services Annual Golf Outing and went on a trip to Poland as a member of “Americares” to help distribute food and medical supplies to the Polish people during Poland’s Solidarity movement in the early 1980s, Bragg said.

Some of Cocolin’s past awards include the 1972 Jaycees Man of the Year Award, 1972 Who’s Who in Pennsylvania, 1990 Elks Club Community Citizen of the Year Award and the 1992 Gov. Raymond P. Shafer Award for Distinguished Community Service.

“I was so surprised,” Cocolin told a reporter when he realized Thursday that he was getting the award as the recipient’s accomplishments were read. “To follow in the footsteps of the people who have won the award is mind-boggling to me.”

While he’s an octogenarian, Cocolin told a reporter he has no plans to slow down.

“I’ll never retire,” said Cocolin. “I enjoy helping out.”

Cocolin and his wife, Jean, are the parents of three children and are grandparents to six.



The annual Winslow Award presented during the Greater Meadville Area Day dinner program goes to an individual, business or organization that has made a significant contribution to the economic growth of the greater Meadville area. Here is the list of past winners.

1969 — Dr. H.C. Winslow

1970 — Talon Inc. Division of Textron

1971 — Walter J. Greenleaf Sr.

1972  — Louis J. Valle

1973 — Channellock Inc.

1974 — John Tracy and Clair Jackson

1975 — Dr. Allen B. Edwards

1976 — William J. Bainbridge

1977 — Dad’s Dog Food Inc.

1978 — J.L. Davies

1979 — Allegheny College

1980 — Avtex Fibers

1981— Paul V. Kebert

1982 — R. Budd Dwyer

1983 — Victor C. Leap

1984 — Seco/Warwick Corp.

1985 — Honorable Raymond P. Shafer

1986 — Walter J. Greenleaf Jr.

1987 — Sandy B. Petruso

1988 — Chalmer C. Jordan

1989 — C&J Industries

1990 — PPG Industries

1991 — Meadville Forging Inc.

1992 — Pennsylvania Tool & Gages

1993 — A.T. Honeycutt

1994 — National Tooling & Machining Association

1995 — Meadville Medical Center

1996 — Wesbury United Methodist Retirement Community

1997 — William. J. Douglass Jr.

1998 — Lord Corp.

1999 — Sen. Robert D. Robbins

2000 — Steven L. Kohler

2001 — Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative Association Inc.

2002 — Charles E. Anderson

2003 — William E. Starn

2004 — Dennis Frampton

2005 — Tech Tool and Molded Plastics

2006 — Armstrong

2007 — Clark J. Hoffman

2008 — Universal Well Services

2009 — Richard B. Burkhardt

2010 — Robert L. Smith Jr.

2011 — William S. DeArment

2012 — Art Cocolin



Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.