A native of Ontario, Mollie Esther Cottingham grew up in Vancouver, received her BA from UBC in 1927 and, in the following year, embarked on her teaching career in the secondary schools of BC. She began teaching at Fernie in 1928 and then moved to Powell River (1935), Trail (1938) and Nelson (1940) before returning to Vancouver in 1943 to teach at Prince of Wales and John Oliver Schools. Cottingham enjoyed a keen interest in history, and while in Nelson, she conducted research that was later used to prepare her MA thesis about the West Kootenays (1947). Throughout her career, Cottingham actively participated in organizational affairs. In recognition of her service and talent, she became the first woman to hold the president's office for the BC's Teacher's Federation (1957-1958). After completing her presidential term, she joined UBC's new Faculty and College of Education, where she remained until her retirement in 1971. In 1967, Cottingham was awarded the Fergusson Memorial Award as the province's outstanding educator.