Chris Cox of Mystic, the bow tie and mustache-adorned former development director at Mystic Seaport who died Friday after a stroke at age 71, was remembered Monday as a man who relished a challenge, gave freely of himself and had an infectious enthusiasm for the groundbreaking projects to which he contributed.

Among his many contributions to the community, Cox led fundraising to build a replica of the Amistad schooner and corporate fundraising for completing the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship restoration. He also was instrumental in getting the multimillion-dollar Collections Research Center built at Mystic Seaport, a 150,000-square-foot space to consolidate all of the museum's collections, photo labs and libraries.

At the time of his death, Cox also was chairman of the board for the Thames River Heritage Park project that helped bring a water taxi to the area last summer to tie together regional attractions in Groton and New London.

"Chris was charming; he was so quick-witted," said Amy Perry, newly appointed director of the heritage park project. "He just was always a gentleman and a pleasure to be around. ... They don't really grow people like that anymore."

"He had such a wonderful, playful attitude about him," said Penny Parsekian, the heritage park's previous director. "Nothing seemed to faze him."

Mike Smiles, who worked under Cox at Mystic Seaport and went on to become executive director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, remembered him as a stimulating intellectual who was bright, compassionate and exciting to be around.

Cox enjoyed taking people on his boat to appreciate the bird life in Mumford Cove, or just to talk and tell stories.

"He was very playful, very at ease with just about anybody," Smiles said.

"His enthusiasm was contagious," said J. Revell Carr, retired former president of the Seaport who now lives in Santa Fe, N.M. "He was a guy who contributed to the whole tapestry of Mystic Seaport ... a really key contributor."

Among other things, Cox brought the Amistad story to the Seaport after learning about the 19th-century slave ship rebellion during his years raising funds for the Hartford Atheneum.

"He brought us into a new era," said Smiles.

Smiles, who now lives in Vermont but maintains a property in Noank, remembers Cox bringing a model of the Amistad into his office.

"We're going to build that," Smiles quoted Cox as saying.

And, a few years later, the Seaport did build the Amistad replica that is still plying the waters of Connecticut and beyond, telling the story of a slave revolt and a landmark trial that led to freedom for the mutineers. The 136-ton "freedom schooner" was completed in March 2000 and last winter underwent a refurbishment at the Seaport, which also was the site for some scenes from the 1997 Steven Spielberg film "Amistad."

William Hosley, former director of the Connecticut Landmarks Society who worked with Cox during his seven years at the Hartford Atheneum, remembered his colleague as an exuberant personality who reached out to the resident minority population in the city to create the Amistad Foundation for History and Culture, one of the first of its kind at an art museum.

Cox, according to Hosley, understood the importance of including a "broader public" in support of the arts than had previously been considered.

"He was good at engaging; he had a public spirit," Hosley said. "He was a wonderful person to work with."

"He always had the right thing to say, and he remembered people," said Perry, the heritage park director.

Steve White, the Seaport's current president, said Cox was gifted at bringing various people together and showing them how they all could benefit by being involved in a project.

"There's some magic to it — a smile at the right moment," White said. "He naturally attracts people to him because of his affable and kind persona."

In an internal note to Seaport staff, White said of Cox, "He made everyone feel a part something bigger no matter where they worked at the museum. ... Many of us learned from him that if it can be dreamed it can be done." 

In an obituary published in The Day, Cox, born in Norwalk, was remembered as a varsity hockey player in high school who began his career by teaching in Hartford and Puerto Rico. He also was an academic adviser at Antioch College in Maine, a state where he helped build a journalism school.

After his 15-year stint as vice president of development and communications at the Seaport, Cox helped with fundraising for Boston Architectural College, Plimoth Plantation, Connecticut Public Broadcasting, The Connecticut Humanities Council and Aid to Artisans. As a final capstone, he helped raise funds to finally complete the decades-long Charles W. Morgan restoration project and get the 1841 whaling ship back in the water for its 38th voyage in 2014.

"His knowledge of the New England shoreline never failed to impress the most weathered waterman," according to his obit. "His talent for spinning a story, his hilarious toasts, and his big-hearted joy in the goodness of others will always be cherished by those who knew him."

A ceremony to honor Cox will be held 1 p.m. Sunday at the Mystic Congregational Church.

l.howard@theday.com