IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM

James Kenneth Cooke, Jr., MD

Clinical Professor, OB/GYN

Chief and Program Director, OB/GYN

UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program

San Francisco

1933—2002

Born on January 30, 1933, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to James Kenneth Cooke, Sr., M.D. and Evelyn Peart Cooke, James Kenneth Cook attended schools there until moving to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1947. Ken attended Central High where he met his wife of 52 years, Polly Pollard Cooke. He attended Memphis State University and then graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School in 1955. He was the youngest in his class and was the recipient of the Verstandig Award. Dr. Cooke joined the U.S. Navy, did his OB/GYN residency at the Naval Hospital, Oakland, California and served for 22 years. He did tours in Florida and Japan and then returned to the Oakland Naval Hospital. In 1978 he retired from the Navy and joined the OB/GYN faculty at UCSF Fresno. In 1985 Dr. Cooke was appointed the program director and chief, after a unanimous petition from the residents requesting his appointment was submitted to Dr. Jaffe, then chair of OB/GYN. Dr. Cooke served in this capacity until he was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2000. Dr. Cooke passed away on February 16, 2002.

For generations of residents and faculty Dr. Cooke served as friend, mentor, leader and teacher. He used to say that what motivated him to come to work every day was that it provided him with the opportunity to learn. That passion to continuously improve in our ability to provide excellence in patient care is his legacy.

 

David B. Feldman, M.D.