DOLORES G. COTTMAN (1933 - 2018): NUTRITIONIST AND SOUP KITCHEN FOUNDER

Article by Dr. Clara Small, professor emerita, Salisbury University

Dolores Geraldine Wragg Cottman

Dolores Geraldine Wragg was born March 19, 1933 to Jerry and Inez Wragg, in New York City. Her earliest education was in the P.S. 29 public schools of New York City. In her youth and early teens, she was one of the best baton twirlers in the schools, and she regularly participated in the Macy’s Parade in New York City. Between the ages of 13 and 15, when her parents separated, she came to Somerset County, Maryland to live and continued her education in the Somerset County Public School System, at Greenwood High School.

While attending Greenwood High School, she met and married Preston Cottman, a farmer, a noble profession on the Eastern Shore. She became pregnant just shy of graduation. During that time, local boards of education did not permit pregnant women to attend school, so Dolores was not allowed to graduate even though she was married. However, that did not deter her from eventually achieving her goal of obtaining her high school diploma. She received her GED in 1967, but the Class of 1949 claimed her as one of their own because those were the students with whom she would have graduated.

At the time of her marriage, she could not “cook a lick,” according to her daughter, Geraldine Shelton. She had a family to feed, so she took classes and enrolled in a series of culinary arts courses that were offered by the Somerset County Adult Education Program that were made available by a grant through the Somerset County Business Professional Women’s Association. In 1968, Dolores Cottman completed the courses and began her journey by working at local restaurants, state facilities and her own catering business. Even though she had completed those courses, she continued to take others in order to perfect her craft. She took courses in Home Economics at Maryland State College, now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore between 1968 and 1970. She was there for three and a half years but did not complete the degree because of the need to work and help care for her growing family took precedence.

Aerial photo of University of Maryland Eastern Shore looking west
1960s-1970s
Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University
Walter C. Thurston Jr. Collection (2016.096)

In 1958, after the birth of her sixth child, Dolores began work at English Grill, as a steam table preparer. In 1968, she began work for the State of Maryland at Deer’s Head Hospital. She subsequently worked at the Eastern Shore State Hospital, the Holly Center, and Salisbury State College, now Salisbury University. At the time she began work at those facilities, the Eastern Shore did not have an association that spoke to the needs of dietary workers, so Dolores Cottman, Hilda Gumby, Maxine Stanley, Suzie DeShields, Doris Baines, and Georgia Huey formed an organization and got it accredited. Once she began working in the industry, she made the decision that she should get the credentials and be paid accordingly. To accomplish that goal, she enrolled in culinary classes, including classes in Dietary Management at the University of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. Dolores Cottman ended her professional dietary career at Salisbury University, in Salisbury, Maryland, where she worked as a Food Services Manager.

"Mrs. Cottman Receives Soroptimist Fund Gifts"
April 16, 1974
The Daily Times

Aerial, Deer's Head Hospital Center
Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University​
Walter Thurston Photograph Collection (2016.096)

​Aerial Photo: Holly Center
Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University​
Walter Thurston Photograph Collection (2016.096)

In her role as food service manager at Salisbury University, Dolores Cottman managed the student employees. She listened to them, often sympathizing and helping when she could, particularly when many of them were working around food but could not afford the university’s meal plan. She understood their concerns and interceded on their behalf with the administration. She was instrumental in seeing that students who worked with Dining Services catering division were able to eat after the college’s catered guests had been served. As a result, the students’ morale improved drastically, and it was a win-win situation for everyone. In addition, she was an integral leader of many of Dining Services’ specialty nights, such as Soul Food, seafood, or Oktoberfest nights that included the local community.

One of those events, the Soul Food Dinner, was introduced by African American students during the administration of then President of Salisbury State College (now Salisbury University), Dr. Norman Crawford. The students met with Dr. Crawford and asked if they could have a dinner that represented their heritage. Dr. Crawford was culturally aware of the various differences among the students and understood their desire to support those differences. Dr. Crawford approved of their request, worked with the students and the Soul Food Dinner became a permanent fixture of the Black History Month annual celebrations. It has become a very lucrative event for Salisbury University, and it is supported by the surrounding communities. As a Food Service Manager, Dolores Cottman, was one of the individuals who worked with the students and the administration to host that event on an annual basis. 

Soul Food Dinner with Bernard Sweetney
Salisbury University

Furthermore, she saw the need to educate students about healthy eating and worked with then graduate student, Dr. Dornell Woolford, to launch The Café Express, University Dining Services’ monthly newsletter. The newsletter was filled with the facilities menu for the month, news about upcoming special events, and articles about nutrition and diet. The newsletter went on to win honorable mention in its third year in a National Association of College and University Food Ser-vices (NACUFS) national competition.

Dolores Cottman retired from Salisbury University on July 15, 1995, after 15 years of service where she created new programs for Dining Services and mentored and encouraged a vast number of students to succeed. Over the years, some of the students supervised by Dolores Cottman stated that if it had not been for her encouragement, acts of kindness, her humor and conjoling of them to remain in school, they may never would have graduated, furthered their education, or fulfilled their goals.
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For Dolores Cottman, the preparation of food for a vast number of people did not end with retirement. Upon retirement and after a visit to California to sit in the audience at the Price is Right game show, she returned home, was restless, and needed to find something to do, so she decided to do something to help others. She saw a need and chose to “feed the community,” which began what became known as St. Mary’s Little Soup Kitchen in 1996. Initially, the Little Soup Kitchen operated out of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Building in Princess Anne, until the building was destroyed by fire, and then St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church adopted it.

"Feasting and Faith: Little Soup Kitchen, volunteers feed 300-plus in Somerset County,"
November 24, 2000
The Daily Times, Photo by Joey Gardner

The Soup Kitchen actually began when Dolores’s son encouraged her to do something to feed the homeless and needy as someone fed him when he was homeless in Florida. The Soup Kitchen began by serving senior citizens who lived alone and either could not, or did not want to cook and needed help. Dolores Cottman worked to solicit donations to sustain the Soup Kitchen, and through her efforts it grew in scope and operated for 20 years. The Soup Kitchen was successful, but it did not always have the funds to feed those in need. On one occasion, in late November of 2001, the Soup Kitchen appealed to the community for assistance. On that particular Wednesday, meals were not prepared by Dolores Cottman and as a result, she received many telephone calls. At that time, the Soup Kitchen program served nearly 200 needy people hot meals three times a week because some people just did not have money to cover all of their bills and the program helped to feed them. In one instance, the Soup Kitchen needed the assistance of others, but once the appeal went out to the community, the requested assistance was received, and at the next scheduled feeding, the program returned to its normal routine. Over the years, the program received support from St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church, St. Andrews Church in Princess Anne which for eight years gave sizeable donations to keep the Soup Kitchen afloat, Go-Getters in Princess Anne, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, and other individual donors.

In addition, Dolores Cottman appealed for grants to assist the Soup Kitchen. Around 2008, she applied to the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) for a mini-grant to purchase a freezer. She wanted the freezer to store unexpected donations of deer (venison), beef or other foods so that she could accept food when it was given. Unfortunately, the grant was denied; however, one of the grant reviewers knew a potential donor, and Dolores was given the freezer within two weeks, and it was stored at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Princess Anne.

With the success of the Soup Kitchen, Dolores Cottman expanded her efforts to help others and began the Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, which was held in November, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Her motivation to nurture and feed others became infectious and many others, including the faculty, staff, and students at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, some high school and middle school students, church members and individuals from the surrounding community volunteered their time and effort to help her achieve her goal. Each year, the number of participants who attended the dinner seemed to increase as word spread about the delicious food that was served there, and Dolores Cottman’s desire to help the community. She was the guiding spirit behind the annual dinners, but over the years as her health began to fail and when she could not physically participate in actually serving the food or in supervising the preparation of the food, she utilized the telephone and conducted business in that manner. Because of her personality and the number of people she interacted with, volunteers readily gave of their time, money and effort, food and whatever she asked of them. She was an inspiration to so many people, that they often felt compelled to follow in her footsteps and desired to help others. As a result, the Soup Kitchen and the Annual Thanksgiving Dinners provided hundreds and sometimes thousands of meals to needy individuals, many of whom were served on site, while many others were delivered to the elderly and to those without proper transportation. In short, Dolores Cottman was on a one-woman mission to make sure no-one, particularly the poor and elderly, went without a Thanksgiving dinner.

The Annual Thanksgiving Dinner of 2001, which was held at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, fed 1,055 people. In 2005, the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner which was held at Greenwood Elementary School, in Princess Anne, Maryland drew 1,245 people, which did not include the number of meals that were delivered to the homes of elderly persons and those who did not have transportation. In 2006, all of the food for the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner was donated, including 25 turkeys that were cooked on the morning of the dinner at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI), in Princess Anne, Maryland. However, 25 other turkeys were prepared under Dolores’ supervision, along with seven hams, macaroni and cheese, candied sweet potatoes, string beans, gravy, various desserts and an assortment of beverages. The 2006 dinner was also held at the Greenwood Elementary School in Princess Anne, Maryland.

"Holiday Meals Packed for Needy"
November 23, 2004
The Daily Times, Photo by Todd Dudek

The number of volunteers who assisted with the Soup Kitchen and the Annual Thanksgiving dinner did so because of their love and admiration for Dolores Cottman. Those who met her loved and admired her for her generosity, and her desire to help others and altruism. She was such a kind, caring person that she became a surrogate mother to many people. That was exceptionally true at Salisbury University, and when she began the annual Thanksgiving dinners, many of those students volunteered to help. That also included some students who had graduated and moved out of the area. When some of them could not be there physically in order to participate in the event and to provide help, some of them sent monetary donations, or items of food to help on those occasions. Members of honor societies at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, fraternities and sororities, clubs, high school students from the area, and community groups volunteered to help on those occasions because they understood and appreciated her desire to feed and provide assistance to others. In each instance, the volunteers felt empowered, and felt good about themselves, as they gave of their time, energy and effort. 

Dolores Cottman gave not only advice but encouragement to a host of stu-dents, faculty and staff, who chose to listen. For many students, she was a surro-gate mother. Her wisdom, common sense, and encouragement, laced with humor was heeded by all who came in contact with her. Because of her advice and sound judgement from years of working with diverse groups of people, she encouraged a number of students to stay the course, to remain in school, to overcome adversity, to complete college and to succeed. She was often the force that kept some of the students in college until they graduated. Those students never forgot her concern for their futures and their well-being.

Not only did Dolores Cottman feed the nutritious means of those in need, but she also helped to care for the physical disabilities and provided assistance for those in need. When she found that there were citizens in the community without proper medical needs, such as wheelchairs, medical transportation, etc., she made herself aware of county, state and federal regulations and services that were provided by specific agencies. She, in turn, notified the persons employed at those agencies of those who desperately needed their services, and they often provided the people with the necessary assistance.

While her children were in school, Dolores Cottman was very active with the Greenwood High School Parents Teachers Association (PTA). She was very concerned about the manner in which many of the African American and minority students were being treated at the school. It appeared that more African American students were unfairly disciplined and dismissed from school for the same or lesser infractions than the white students, but they were not disciplined to the same degree or dismissed. It also appeared that the African American students were not graded according to the same criteria as whites. Those were just two of the problems that Dolores Cottman and others observed and worked to rectify. One method she and Reverend Brown, the minister at one of the local churches, employed in order to alleviate some of the problems at the school was the implementation of the Parent Patrol. The Parent Patrol consisted of many parents spending time in the school and observing the treatment of the black students and also helping to quell some situations, often to the dismay of some of the school officials. The goal was to achieve fair play and parity for the students. At best, it helped to improve some of the conditions at the school.

Dolores Cottman was very active in community concerns. She was an active member of the Somerset County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and served as its secretary for over 3 years. Mrs. Cottman’s daughter, Geraldine (Deanie) Shelton, remembered racial unrest in Princess Anne and that there was the threat of a lynching. A rumor spread that Mrs. Cottman was in danger as well as other members of the NAACP. When Mr. Cottman heard of the rumor, he and his brothers, got their shot guns, went to the NAACP meeting where she and the other members were in session, and rescued his wife. Apparently, the appearance of an armed man, Mr. Cottman, and others ready to defend themselves and others ended the rumored threat of a lynching and harm to African Americans in Princess Anne.

As an active member of the community, Dolores Cottman was a believer in fair treatment for all people, so she supported the students at Maryland State College (MSC, now UMES) when they protested racial injustice in Princess Anne. The protest began when MSC students learned that a desegregation agreement that had been reached by the Princess Anne Biracial Committee had been violated. The original agreement “was meant to afford the black community admission to and service in any business in Princess Anne, Maryland, including the restaurants.” The conflict began when the MSC students learned that two of the restaurants had violated the agreement to serve Blacks. The MSC student leaders were John “Johnny” Wilson, Warren Morgan, Reverend Arthur Cash and Curtis Gentry. On February 20, 1964, the MSC students went into the town of Princess Anne as a group to seek service at all of the local restaurants. All of the restaurants, except two served the students. The Maryland State Police arrived with K-9 dogs that joined customers who blocked the door of the two restaurants that refused to serve the students. Johnny Wilson was arrested and some students were injured. Some students were attacked and bitten by police dogs, blasted by high pressure fire hoses, and some had to be hospitalized as a result of their injuries. The students received support from as far away as Denmark and Austria, and from Gloria Richardson, a civil rights leader from Cambridge, Maryland, and financial and moral support from the world renown comedian, Dick Gregory. But locally, the protestors and their supporters were fed by none other than Dolores Cottman, who fed their bodies and their souls.

John Wilson at 1966 Protest
The Alabama Department of Archives & History

Dolores Cottman was a very active member in her local community. She worked with the Progressive Men’s Association and helped to get the first doctors, Drs. Mary and Paul Fleury, to come to Somerset County to practice medicine and care for the black community. When Dolores Cottman was employed by the state of Maryland, she served as the Shop Steward for the Maryland Classified Employers Association, and she fought for fairness and parity for Maryland’s classified workers. In short, Dolores Cottman was a crusader for justice.

She was a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary and a member of the Dietary Managers Association; she received numerous awards, certifications, citations and recognitions. She was known for her volunteerism which earned her local and state recognition, including a Maryland You Are Beautiful certification. She, along with Elizabeth Stevens, organized the Senior Citizens Awareness Workshops which were held at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and provided important information to seniors about health and wellness. For her efforts, in 2010, she was honored by the Somerset County NAACP at their 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Banquet. Dolores Cottman was honored at that celebration for having founded the Soup Kitchen through her church because she saw local community members suffering from food insecurity. She also wanted to start a homeless shelter because she saw so many people (who were homeless) and on the street, but as her health began to fail, the latter goal did not reach fruition. Dolores Cottman was also a very active longtime member of St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church in Princess Anne, Maryland, and worked tirelessly in the community to enrich the lives of others.

She was such a compassionate, easy going, humorous person that people gravitated towards her, adored her and loved her quick wit. She has been rever-ed by the community for her many efforts to feed the community and to help others, which is a part of her legacy. Not only did she rear her own children, but she also reared two other children, serving as a surrogate mother to two individuals who loved her dearly. After many years of providing assistance to others, Dolores Cottman’s health failed and she passed on November 24, 2018. Her celebration of Life and Love was held at Mills Baptist Church in Salisbury, Maryland on December 1, 2018, and her interment was at St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, in Princess Anne, Maryland. Mrs. Dolores Geraldine Wragg Cottman was a generous, gracious lady, who spent her life helping others, and for those reasons alone, she will not be forgotten.