Born June 19, 1935, in Astoria, OR, Cosovich attended Stanford University graduating in 1957 with a degree in political science. There he met his classmate, Katharine "Timmie" Getchell, and they were married in San Francisco in September 1960. He began his professional career in university development at Stanford University in 1961. Cosovich left Stanford in 1983 to become vice president for Development at the University of Michigan. As vice president for development from 1983 to 1993, "He established a focus on higher-end fundraising; he really put us ahead of our time," said Jerry May, current vice president for development. In 1993, he became deputy to the president, retiring in 1998. From 1996 until recently he served as senior advisor to the director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford where he enjoyed working again with colleagues and friends from his early career. He was a former member of the Bohemian Club, Rotary, the Ann Arbor Club, VPs and the Detroit Athletic Club. Those who worked closely with him will recall his affection for gardening, classic cars and boats, history and the arts.