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A Conversation with W. Donald Cooke

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https://hdl.handle.net/1813/3770

Sponsored by the Oral History Project of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, led by Charles Wilcox and Kelly Strickland, this presents an extended interview with a senior member of the faculty, W. Donald Cooke, in which he shares his life's journey, professional interests and reflections about the distinctive character of his department and its nurturing environment. Short biographies of interviewee and interviewer [Charles Wilcox] are included, in addition to a photo gallery and list of publications of the interviewee.

W. Donald Cooke joined the Cornell University faculty in 1951 and advanced quickly through the ranks. He published 39 papers in Analytical Chemistry through 1970. He has held a series of administrative posts [Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences (1962-64), Dean of the Graduate School (1964-73); Vice President for Research (1969-83); Acting Provost (1974-74); Acting Chair of Chemistry Department. He was an active and effective member of the Cornell University Senate (1970-74). Because of his love of teaching he has continued an active teaching role throughout his career, even past his retirement in 1987.

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    The Cayuga Poker Society Newsletter Comprehensive Collection
    Cooke, W. Donald (1994)
    Don Cooke was born in 1918 and took up the game of poker in his early days. In his book of memories he wrote of playing poker for books among his young friends. He notes that it was an odd combination but it does explain t wo of his biggest passions .... books and poker. He also mentions having a full size pool table in his bedroom that he somehow finagled from a speakeasy that had gone out of business. Don was no stronger to gambling or its trappings.
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    DVD: Remembering W. Donald Cooke
    Cooke, J. Robert (Internet-First University Press, 2007)
    "Remembering W. Donald Cooke was edited and produced by J. Robert Cooke using Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro on a Macintosh Mac Pro. The slideshows were prepared using KeyNote. This record contains the complete contents of the DVD.
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    A Conversation with W. Donald Cooke
    Cooke, W. Donald; Wilcox, Charles (Internet-First University Press, 2006-09)
    Sponsored by the Oral History Project of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, led by Charles Wilcox and Kelly Strickland, this presents an extended interview with a senior member of the faculty, W. Donald Cooke, in which he shares his life's journey, professional interests and reflections about the distinctive character of his department and its nurturing environment. Short biographies of interviewee and interviewer [Charles Wilcox] are included, in addition to a photo gallery and list of publications of the interviewee. Video Total Run Time: [40 minutes]. Topics covered: [minutes: seconds]: Introduction [1:31]; Growing up in Philadelphia [5:17]; Army Air Force [4:52]; Coming Home [2:38]; Graduate School at Penn [4:42]; Postdoctoral at Princeton [2:00]; Cornell [1:05]; Research Support [0:48]; Cornell - Then and Now [1:03]; Regrets [1:54]; 1969 ? Troubled Times [3:50]; Vice President for Research [1:39]; Poker [0:35]; Conclusion [0:32]. The streaming video is openly accessible at: http://ifup.cit.cornell.edu. The DVD was produced by J. Robert Cooke.