Frazer-Cook Family papers, 1845-2022

William D. Frazer was born in Niagara Falls, New York on January 11, 1884. He graduated from Michigan Agricultural College in 1909 with a degree in Civil Engineering before joining the Coast Artillery Corps that same year. William married Shirley May Gardner, a classmate at Michigan Agricultural College, in 1911. They had three children, James, Shirley, and Edwin. In 1915 he graduated from the Coast Artillery School. In 1916 William was detailed as professor military science and tactics at the University of Washington. He served in France during World War I before returning to the UW, where he remained teaching until 1935. He was promoted to Colonel in 1938. At the UW he assisted with the men and women's rifle teams. In 1937 he was posted to Hawaii, then in 1941 was moved to Fort Greely in Alaska. In 1943 he was briefly moved to California before retiring and receiving a Legion of Merit Medal in a ceremony at the University of Washington. He worked for the Pollution Control Commission (1944-1945) and as the Director of Civil Defense for King County (1950-1953). He died in Seattle on August 17, 1963 and is buried at Fort Lawton. His 34 years of active military service included combat duty on the Mexican Border in 1916, and in World Wars I and II. His oversees service took him to France, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Alaska. He wrote a number of articles on marksmanship, big game hunting, and fishing, as well as the book American Pistol Shooting (1929). William won the Leech Cup in 1921 for rifle marksmanship. He won the All Around Championship of the United States with rifle, pistol and shotgun at the National Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio in 1922. At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, William was a member of the four man US Olympic Pistol Team and the US International Pistol Team.

James Gardner Frazer was born April 9, 1912 at Fort Williams, Maine, the oldest child of William and Shirley Frazer. He attended the University of Washington where he was in ROTC and the Men's Rifle Team. He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1935. James also served in the Marine Corps Engineer Service during the Second World War. He married Ruth McKay and had one child, Peggy Anne Frazer. James died on February 18, 1996.

Peggy Anne Frazer was born September 9, 1941 in South Carolina, the only child of James and Ruth Frazer. She graduated from the University of Washington before receiving her PhD from Cornell University. Peggy died July 7, 2017.

Shirley Mae Frazer was born September 11, 1914 at Fort Williams Maine, the second child of William and Shirley Frazer. Like her father, Shirley had an interest in marksmanship. In 1929 she attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle where she was a member of the Girls' Rifle Team. She graduated from Roosevelt in 1931, then attended the University of Washington where she was on the UW Women's Rifle Team and won several pistol and rifle championships, including the National Rifle Association National Intercollegiate Rifle Championship in 1934. She was also a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority. Shirley received her BA in 1935 and a MA in 1936. She married George Cook in 1940 in Seattle. They had a son, Frazer George Cook. Shirley died August 6, 1993 in Shoreline, Washington.

George S. Cook was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1906. He received a BA from the University of Washington in 1929 where he was active in the crew, ROTC, and rifle teams. He graduated from the UW Law School in 1935. He married Shirley Mae Frazer in 1940. George served on MacArthur's staff in the Philippines, and became a Major General and commanded the Washington-Oregon National Guard for a four-year appointment. He retired from the military in 1958.

Chesley Whitson Cook Chesley Whitson Cook was the father of George S. Cook, Chesley Marion Cook, and Norland Cook. He was a builder, teacher, and Washington pioneer who resided in the territory of Washington prior to 1889. His career was focused on carpentry, building, and teaching industrial arts in the Northwest and Alaska. Chesley died November 3, 1965.

Frazer George Cook was the son of Shirley Mae Frazer and George S. Cook. Frazer was born August 23, 1942 in Seattle. During the Second World War he lived with his mother and her family. After the War his family remained in Seattle and Shoreline. He attended the University of Washington starting in 1960, where he received a BA in 1965. He announced for the Husky Marching Band from 1961 to 2018. He worked for Boeing and later as a theater supply manager for Pacific Northwest Theater Associates. In 1971 Frazer joined the UW's Audio Visual Department. He received the UW Alumni Distinguished Service in 2012 and was the Golden Grad Award recipient in 2018. He died on September 20, 2020.

Edwin D. Frazer was the youngest son of William and Shirley Frazer. He would also go by Ed or Sonny. He was born on November 10, 1923 in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington for two years. In 1943 he received an appointment to West Point from which he graduated in 1945. He received an MBA from Stanford University in 1952. Edwin died May 31, 2010.

Source: Biographical information provided by Lynne De Merritt (donor), collection materials