Frank Cooke (engineer): Difference between revisions
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==Automobile collection== |
==Automobile collection== |
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To those not in the optical field, Mr. Cooke was best known for his antique automobile collection and restoration work. His collection varied over the years and at one time or another had a Ford Model R, a 1909 Maxwell, 1903 Grout Steam Car, several Stanley Steamers, and several Rolls-Royces like the Phantom II 25EX. He restored any vehicle that held a challenge, but specialized in Rolls-Royce and Bentleys at his Vintage Garage. |
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To those not in the optical field, Mr. Cooke was best known for his antique automobile collection, which included vehicles such as the “[[Stanley Steamer]],” <ref name="car">{{cite web|url=http://www.steamautomobile.com/northea/Cooke.html|title=Cooke's Stanley Steamer|accessdate=2007-05-15}}</ref> which he would occasionally ride around [[North Brookfield, Massachusetts|North Brookfield]]. Mr. Cooke spent much of his free time at his “Vintage Garage,” <ref name="vin">{{cite web|url=http://vintagegaragevt.com/_wsn/page2.html|title=”The Vintage Garage|accessdate=2007-05-15 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070927134828/http://vintagegaragevt.com/_wsn/page2.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-09-27}}</ref> restoring antique automobiles. He called this, “worshiping old iron.” <ref name="osa" /> Upon his death, Mr. Cooke's collection of unique automobiles was sold <ref name="auto" /> and the Vintage Garage was moved to [[Stowe, Vermont]].<ref name="vin" /> |
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He called this, “worshiping old iron” and encouraged anyone who had the interest. He did this best by dedicating a section of his garage as a museum where he housed his collection of cutaway Rolls-Royce engines, steam engines, and other mechanical wonders. Upon his death, Mr. Cooke's collection of unique automobiles was sold along with the contents of his museum. The cutaway engines were donated to The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club in England, and now reside in the Hunt House. The Vintage Garage was closed and then moved to Stowe, Vermont and reopened by his son Billings. |
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<ref>Billings Cooke, son of Frank</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 00:43, 15 April 2011
Frank Cooke | |
|---|---|
 Frank Cooke | |
| Born | February 4, 1913 |
| Died | March 10, 2005 |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Spouse | Marjorie (Stevens) |
Frank Cooke was an American entrepreneur who lived within, and started a high-tech optical business in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. He was born in 1913 and died at the age of 92 in 2005.[1]
Education and experience
Mr. Cooke graduated from Wabash College with a degree in English. He had no formal education in the optical business that he founded. He discouraged the use of mathematics and, instead, developed precision optical measurement methods.[1] During World War II, Mr. Cooke worked for Polaroid's Edwin Land, obtaining much on-the-job experience. Eventually he ran Polaroid's wartime optical department.[1]
Frank Cooke Optics
His company, Frank Cooke Optics, specialized in the optical work that many other companies turned down because of its complexity or precision. To handle the tedious and difficult work, Mr. Cooke hired mostly women because he thought that they were more skillful than men were. Work was scheduled so that the women could work during the time that their children were in school.[1] Once Mr. Cooke started his company, he became known worldwide as an expert in the field of optical engineering and optics technology. His company specialized in space optics, which included work on NASA's Galileo probe, and the Hubble telescope.[2] Mr. Cooke authored the Optics Cooke Book, ISBN 155752212X, published by the Optical Society of America. It is considered by many to be the Optics Industry "bible." [1]
Automobile collection
To those not in the optical field, Mr. Cooke was best known for his antique automobile collection and restoration work. His collection varied over the years and at one time or another had a Ford Model R, a 1909 Maxwell, 1903 Grout Steam Car, several Stanley Steamers, and several Rolls-Royces like the Phantom II 25EX. He restored any vehicle that held a challenge, but specialized in Rolls-Royce and Bentleys at his Vintage Garage. He called this, “worshiping old iron” and encouraged anyone who had the interest. He did this best by dedicating a section of his garage as a museum where he housed his collection of cutaway Rolls-Royce engines, steam engines, and other mechanical wonders. Upon his death, Mr. Cooke's collection of unique automobiles was sold along with the contents of his museum. The cutaway engines were donated to The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club in England, and now reside in the Hunt House. The Vintage Garage was closed and then moved to Stowe, Vermont and reopened by his son Billings. [3]
References
- ^ a b c d e "OSA pressroom news release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
- ^ "The Auto Channel". Retrieved 2007-05-15.
- ^ Billings Cooke, son of Frank
To those not in the optical field, Frank was best known for his antique automobile collection and restoration work. His collection varied over the years and at one time or another had a Ford Model R, a 1909 Maxwell, 1903 Grout Steam Car, several Stanley Steamers, and several Rolls-Royces like the Phantom II 25EX. He restored any vehicle that held a challenge, but specialized in Rolls-Royce and Bentleys at his Vintage Garage. He called this, “worshiping old iron” and encouraged anyone who had the interest. He did this best by dedicating a section of his garage as a museum where he housed his collection of cutaway Rolls-Royce engines, steam engines, and other mechanical wonders. Upon his death, Frank's collection of unique automobiles was sold along with the contents of his museum. The cutaway engines were donated to The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club in England, and now reside in the Hunt House. The Vintage Garage was closed and then moved to Stowe, Vermont and reopened by his son Billings. [1]
External links
- ^ Billings Cooke, son of Frank