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Dean W. Cooke

by Jeanne Baron

Aug. 19, 2011 | WMU News

Photo of Dr. Dean W. Cooke, WMU.
Dr. Dean W. Cooke
Dr. Dean W. Cooke, a former Western Michigan University faculty member, died Aug. 10. He was 80.

Cooke, of Stillwater, Okla., joined the WMU faculty in 1966 and retired in 1996 as a professor of chemistry. Prior to that, he had served as an instructor and assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

An expert in inorganic chemistry, Cooke authored numerous technical papers and was an active member of the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society, for which he served as chair in 1976.

The ACS honored Cooke in 2009 as one of its Salute to Excellence recipients. He was cited for his 30 years of "meritorious and selfless contributions" to the Kalamazoo Section as exemplified in his being "a tireless educator to university students and to practicing teachers" as well as his service in roles such as councilor, Executive Committee member, Education Committee chair and event volunteer.

Cooke earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 and a doctoral degree in 1959, both from Ohio State University.

At the time of this writing, services were pending. Visit the Strode Funeral Home online for further announcements.