ALBERT JOHN COOK. 



The announcement of the death of Dr. A. J. Cook, on 

 September 29th, while not unexpected, came as a shock to 

 his host of California friends, and it is with the greatest 

 reverence and respect for the man who so faithfully and 

 conscientiously conducted the affairs of the office of State 

 Commissioner of Horticulture, that we pay this little tribute 

 to his memory. 



AVe who have been so closely associated with Dr. Cook in 

 the daily work of the office have lost a true friend, and in his 

 departure from this life there has gone from among us a 

 great potential force which has ever directed us toward renewed 

 activities and greater service. His life was devoted to work, 

 and few men had a greater capacity for work than he. The 

 sluggard got no sympathy from him, but the man who made 

 an earnest, honest effort could always be assured of a helping 

 hand. Dr. Cook was a staunch advocate of a clean, pure life, 

 and for years young men in the college classroom were made 

 better because of his influence over them. Today there are 

 scores of these men in prominent positions which they are 

 filling creditably, who are alwaj^s eager to testify to the bene- 

 fits of the personal touch of the man who, as college professor, 

 took an interest in them, and who devoted his tremendous 

 energy not only toward impressing upon their minds the lessons 

 from books, but also the greater lessons of morality and 

 service. 



As State Commissioner of Horticulture, Dr. Cook has done 

 a work for which he will long be remembered. No matter 

 what difficulties arose during his term of office he was always 

 optimistic. He undertook each task with energy and enthusi- 

 asm, and the record of his accomplishments in state-wide 

 service places his name among those of California's honored 

 dead, who have made worthy contributions toward the advance- 

 ment of the great horticultural industry. 



Dr. Cook was born in Owosso, Michigan, on August 30, 1842. 

 He took his bachelor of science degree at the Michigan Agricul- 

 tural College in 1862, and the degree of master of science in 

 1865 at the same institution. He studied at Harvard during 

 the years 1867 and 1868. He was professor of zoology and 

 entomology in the Michigan Agricultural College from 1869 

 to 1893. He was curator of the General Museum from 1875 to 

 1893. From 1888 to 1891 Dr. Cook was entomologist at the 

 experiment station, and in 1893 he moved to California, 

 taking the position as professor of biology at Pomona College, 

 which position he left in 1911 to become State Commissioner 

 of Horticulture. From 1895 to 1905 he was conductor of the 

 university of extension work in agriculture. He was the 

 author of the Manual of the Apiary, Injurious Insects of ]Michi- 

 gan, Silo and Silage, i\Iaple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, Birds 

 of Michigan, and California Citrus Fruits, 1913. 



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