Boy Scouts of America, Del-Mar-Va Council Outstanding Eagle Award Reception

 Please join us as we present Colonel Robert Cook with the Outstanding Eagle Award
Thursday, November 12, 2020 - 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Join us via Virtual Reception
 

          The Outstanding Eagle Award is a prestigious recognition granted by local councils to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated
outstanding achievement and made a positive impact in the community at the local, state, or regional level.

About Col. Robert Cook:

Bob Cook was born on April 23, 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob & his family moved to Kane, Pa where he graduated with honors from High school. Active in Boy Scouts, he became an eagle scout in 1943. He graduated from Alleghany College in Meadville, PA, and did graduate work at the University of Tennessee, becoming an economist.

Bob was 17 when he joined the Merchant Marine, serving as an ordinary seaman, returning to graduate with his high school class. He enlisted in the fall of 1943 in the Army Air corps. After a year's delay in flight training, he resigned from that program and applied for and was accepted in the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning Georgia.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry at the age of 19, he served in the end of WWII, as a Company Commander and an aide de camp in Germany.  Bob continued his service in Europe & Korea. Bob served as a brigade commander in the Maryland Defense Force and he retired as a colonel.

Bob Cook taught economics and has authored numerous studies and articles on economic development, urban challenges, and the economics of transportation.

In 1967 he left the University of Delaware and moved to Salisbury

as the first Executive Director of The Greater Salisbury Committee, which celebrated 50 years in 2017.

During his 25 years with Greater Salisbury Committee, Bob facilitated the founding of a number of major community organizations such as:

• SWED (Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development)

• Delmarva Water Transport Committee

• Wor-Wic Community College

• Private Industry Council of Maryland’s Twelve Rural Counties

• Chesapeake Country Economic Development Corporation

• Re-Establishment of the Delmarva YMCA

• Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

• Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore

Bob has always loved the Boy Scouts and was president of the Delmarva Council of the Boy Scouts of America and continues his very active commitment to this day. In 1988, Bob Cook was awarded the Lower Shore Distinguished Citizens Award given to honor prominent area leaders who have a wide influence in the business and professional community while serving as exemplary role models for our youth.   He has been a trustee and president of the Richard A. Henson Foundation and a board member of the Hudson Health Services, the Ward Foundation, the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the YMCA of the Chesapeake and the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Vestry.

After retiring from the Greater Salisbury Committee, Bob has remained very active in the community serving on boards and advising numerous organizations. He was instrumental in the initiation of the Fincher Quarter Century Report (a seminal study of the effects of growth in Wicomico County) and the founding of the Salisbury Neighborhood Services (SHNS). He also helped initiate a countywide delinquency program, reflecting his commitment to our youth, to excellence, and to the Boy Scouts.

Bob continues to volunteer with the YMCA of the Chesapeake. This past summer, the YMCA honored Bob for his tireless leadership in our Community naming Camp Cook in his honor!   What Bob has accomplished in his lifetime, as an Eagle Scout, a distinguished military officer, and an enduring community leader, has left an indelible mark on kids, families, and organizations in our Community.

The Del-Mar-Va Council could not think of a better recipient for the honor and title of the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award. 
Join us as we honor Bob Cook, a man who exemplifies duty to God, Country & Community