Carl Cook Passes

[OpenMike]

Carl Cook: Popular ex-radio host dies

John Dodge
The Olympian

OLYMPIA — South Sound nature photographer, photojournalist and radio personality Carl Cook, 62, died at Providence St. Peter Hospital on Tuesday following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Known as a blue-collar guy with a love of nature, a walrus-style mustache and a one-of-a-kind voice, Cook graced the airwaves at KGY-1240 AM radio from 1978 to 1986, hosting the afternoon Brown Bag Dance Party.
"It was one of the most popular radio shows we ever had," recalled KGY general manager Dick Pust. "He called it like he saw it, and he identified with the common man."
Cook's true calling was photography, something he first turned to as a boy, said his son, Jesse Cook, 30.
"His photography was amazingly good and amazingly underappreciated," said Dick Milligan, a former photo editor at The Olympian who called on Cook as a freelance photographer for the newspaper over the years. "He was one of the good guys."
Cook especially enjoyed wildlife photography and used his lens to blend science with art in a series of wildlife studies.
"He was very, very fond of animals," Milligan said. "He liked crows the best."
Here's what Cook had to say on his Web site (www.clcookphoto.com) about a lifetime of photography:
"As a photojournalist and natural history photographer, I have had the unique opportunity, and privilege to document that which is around me," Cook said. "The universe is a fascinating place, and there is absolutely nothing in it that I'm not interested in."
Always engaged in community causes, Cook volunteered his photographic skills to chronicle the tug boat races at Harbor Days and the restoration of the historic tug boat, Sand Man.
"He was well-known and well-liked in South Sound maritime history circles," said Chuck Fowler of Olympia, vice president of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society.
In April 1985, Cook's playful side was on display when he organized "Louie Louie Day" at the state Capitol. About 2,500 people came to the Capitol steps to sing, dance and declare "Louie Louie" the unofficial state rock-•-roll song.
Born in San Francisco in 1945, Cook served in the Air Force, moved to Olympia in 1970, married his wife, Jadine, in 1974, graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1976 and became a community fixture for decades.
Asked what he would remember most about his dad, Jesse Cook said, "His voice."
"It was a strong, deep voice that hit you right in the stomach," he said, recalling scoldings as a boy.