Don Lewis Cook

Don Lewis Cook of Bloomington died on November 7, 2016 at the Meadowood Health Care Pavilion from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Born on January 28, 1928 in Craig, Colorado, Don was the only child of Lewis Ersie Cook and Leora Saylor Cook. The family experienced hard times in Colorado during the depression and in 1933, they moved to California and settled in Bakersfield. After attending Bakersfield Junior College and UCLA, Don enlisted in the US Navy. He graduated from Officer Candidate School, Newport RI, in 1951 and was on active duty from 1951 to 1955, serving during the Korean War on the destroyer USS John W. Thomason and AMCU 26 USS Kestrel. He was in the Navy Reserve from 1956 to 1969 and retired with the rank of Commander. At UCLA Don met Betty (Becky) Walker of Hollywood, California. They were married in 1952 and lived in Los Angeles while Don completed his Ph.D. in American Literature at UCLA. In 1959, they moved with their two daughters, Cynthia and Julia, to Bloomington, Indiana where Don began his teaching career at Indiana University. Don taught at IU from 1959 to 1992. He was Professor of English at IU and in addition, he was one of the foremost editors of American literary texts, and a well-known expert in textual editing. Don was general editor of A Selected Edition of William Dean Howells. He served four years as chair of the Modern Language Association Committee on Scholarly Editions. He was president of the Association for Documentary Editing and an active member of the Board of Advisors of the Library of America. He taught overseas as a Fulbright professor of American Literature in Japan (1968-69) and a visiting professor at the University of Kent at Canterbury in England (1982-83). Don found immense pleasure in music, art and the theatre. His garden, to which he devoted many happy hours, was always a showpiece. He loved animals and doted on a series of house pets. A man who enjoyed good food and good company, he was an enthusiastic host and raconteur. Becky Cook died in 1983. In 1984, Don married Jean Strohm of Bloomington. Together they enjoyed 32 years of being grandparents and traveling, finally moving to Meadowood Retirement Community in 2013. Preceding Don in death were his parents and daughter Julia Loftis. In addition to his wife Jean, he is survived by his daughter Cynthia Mary Cook, sons-in-law Ernest Cook and Robert Loftis, step-sons Jacob Strohm (Caroline Fisher) and John Strohm (Heather),and six grandchildren (Elizabeth Cook, Emma Loftis, Anna Strohm, Bennett Strohm, Elijah Strohm and Sophie Strohm). Memorial services will be held at a later date in California.

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Don Lewis Cook

January 28, 1928 - November 7, 2016