Jeff Cotner, of Vian, is a man of many trades. Even with a Harvard Law School degree, completed Ironman competitions on every continent, and extraordinary photography under his belt, Cotner has chosen to stick with his roots and settle in the small town of Vian.
When asked what the appeal is of small towns, Cotner reflects that “small towns are a place where you can make a difference.” He compares Vian to New York and Houston where “you can’t perceive any impact.” He certainly achieved his goal of making a difference in a small town, and that can clearly be seen in his contributions to the community of Vian.
After his retirement from the law field in 2011, Cotner decided that Vian needed help — he knew that education was of utmost importance. He began contributing to Vian Public Schools by donating to the band and the gifted and talented programs because he felt as if those were underrepresented facets of the school.
He then recounts how, after being appointed as a school board member, he realized that revamping the school was “what we needed in order to change the community for the better.”
He says that “whether or not you have kids in the school” this change would benefit everyone in the town.
Because of his beliefs that “[the] town will live and die with [the] school,” he was an active participant in getting the bond for a new school passed; this bond ended up passing with a 71 percent rate of “yes” votes from the community.
After the bond was passed, Cotner was extremely involved with the design of the school as well as improving curriculum, benchmark testing and honor classes.
Cotner’s passion for education goes hand-inhand with his passion for photography. He says that “a camera is a passport to the world” because a camera is able to transport viewers to the views, people, and cultures that it captures.
He continues by saying that traveling and photography have introduced him to the most interesting people and given him the best stories that he would have otherwise never had the opportunity to experience.
Just some of the many countries he has visited include Cuba, Iran, New Zealand, Myanmar, Guatemala, India, and Bolivia. Cotner says that photographing people is his forte because of the amount you can learn from and teach others about those who are different from you.
These incredible feats and stories just go to show that growth can be found everywhere — especially in small towns like Vian. This up-andcoming town sure does have an interesting and motivated man to help with this growth, especially in the realm of education.
Whether it is building new schools or photographing monks in Myanmar, Cotner has dedicated a large part of his life to improving the town that he owes so much to.
