R. James Cook was born in 1937 and grew up on a 400-acre farm in northwestern Minnesota. He attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University), studying agronomy and animal science. In 1960, he became the first student at North Dakota State University to obtain a plant pathology masters degree, and then attended the University of California, Berkeley for his doctorate. He spent four decades with WSU and the USDA-ARS and garnered a number of prestigious honors over the course of his career. In December 2018, Dr. Cook received WSU’s highest award, an honorary doctoral degree, in recognition of his service to the university and dedication to healthier plants and soil.
Source:
The R. James Cook Papers consist of the professional papers of R. James Cook, Professor Emeritus at Washington State University (WSU) and former researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) at WSU. The collection consists of materials related to Dr. Cook’s national leadership in agricultural research, reprints of talks and seminars, government reports, professional correspondence, reprints of historical interest by other researchers, materials concerning Dr. Cook’s career, and materials concerning improving the public’s understanding of biotechnology in research. Topics of interest include wheat and barley root diseases, biological control of plant pathogens, and the 1988 first field release of a genetically engineered organism in the Pacific Northwest.
This is an unprocessed collection. Any arrangement reflects either a pre-existing order from the records' creators or previous custodians, or preliminary sorting performed by staff.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item description]
Preliminary Guide to the R. James Cook Papers, 1964-2017 (MS.2020.15)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
R. James Cook donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries in 2020 (MS.2020.15).
The repository expects to receive additions to this collection.
James Cook Mt. St. Helens Research Project Papers, 1980-1984
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.