CRAMERTON—Carl Cecil “Cotton” Bolick, a coach and athletic director for many years, died on Saturday at the age of 91.

     A native of Lincoln County, Bolick was an outstanding athlete at the old Cramerton High and later enlisted in the Army Air Corps and fought in World War II. He was shot down over Germany and spent 18 months in a prisoner of war camp.

     After the war, he wound graduating from Catawba College and then embarked on a teaching and coaching career. His career included stops at Lee Woodard in Asheville and Charles Coon in Wilson, and then 25 years at West Mecklenburg High School. He compiled a record as a head baseball coach of 287-148 and was athletic director at West for 20 years.

     After his retirement from West Mecklenburg,  he served as athletic director at Charlotte Country Day for eight years. He is a member of the West Mecklenburg High School Hall of Fame and was inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2001.

    The funeral service will be 11 o’clock Wednesday morning at the First Baptist Church in Cramerton, with Reverend Dr. David Julen officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 pm until 8 pm on Tuesday evening at McLean Funeral Directors of Gastonia.