Obitary from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, dated Sunday, June 14, 2009, page B2:

He was a soldier, a gold-miner, a college professor, an administrator, a diplomat, an author and a pioneer Alaskan. Donald Jean Cook died peacefully in Fairbanks on June 3, 2009, with family members at his bedside. He was 89. Dr. Cook was born on February 14, 1920, in Astoria, Oregon. At the age of 18, he arrived at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), where he enrolled in the mining engineering program and also became an ROTC cadet. To pay his way, he bused tables in the dining hall and worked in local gold mines during the summer. In 1943, he was a graduating member of the first four-year ROTC program and was quickly shipped off to Fort Benning, Ga., and later Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for advanced military training. As a lieutenant, his first combat assignment was at Utah Beach in Normandy, France where he arrived on D-Day plus one. His second assignment was to lead his unit in the notorious hedgerows near St. Lo, France, where he was wounded in action, for which he received the Purple Heart. After spending 12 months in various military hospitals, he returned to Alaska and got married. Cook received his bachelor's degree in mineral engineering in 1947. He would spend the next 10 years working as an engineer for the Fairbanks Exploration Co. in various mining operations throughout Interior Alaska. The academic world called again. Cook and his young family moved to the East Coast, where he enrolled in graduate school at Pennsylvania State University. He earned botha master's degree and a doctorate in three years in the fields of mining engineering and mineral preparation. Cook traveled back to Alaska where he began a lengthy career as a college professor at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks (UAF). He helped train hundreds of young mining engineers. In 1985, he was hired as UAF's dean of the School of Mining, Petroleum and Geological Engineering. He also became the director of the Mineral Industry Research Laboratory. His commitment to academic excellence was rivaled only by his efforts to assist local miners in technology development and regulatory compliance for a safe environment. Dr. Cook also loved to travel. He worked as a mine consultant in Columbia, South America. He took a sabbatical leave from the UAF in the 1970s and traveled to Taiwan where he taught mineral engineering at Cheng Kung University. This visit opened a new door of international opportunity for UAF. Dr. Cook established a program for Chinese students to confer mining engineering degrees at the Fairbanks campus. His experiences in Taiwan and China led him to new friendships overseas. After retirement at the UAF, Cook was appointed as an Alaska trade representative to Taiwan. He and his wife lived in Taipei for another year. Cook received the Distinguished Alumnus Award at UAF for his achievements. Cook was an active member with the Alaska Miner's Association and a member of the Pioneer's of Alaska Igloo No. 4.

Dr. Cook was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Ida Cook; his two eldest sons, Wayne and Kenneth; and a brother, Gerald. Cook is survived by his wife, Cora; and sons, Galen and Donald. The Cook family extends their sincere thanks to the community for the many condolences offered. Family and friends will celebrate Dr. Cook's life with a memorial service on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, at University Community Presbyterian Church, 3510 College Road. The service begins at 4 p.m. A reception will follow.