Denton L. Cook and Vivian H. Cook Scholarship

This fund was established in 2004 by the estate of Dr. Denton L. Cook. Cook was born April 10, 1912 and spent over 30 years as a state and county school administrator, primarily in Tampa and Hillsborough County. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, his master’s degree in education from the University of Florida, and his doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado. During World War II, Dr. Cook served as a naval officer and after the war, served on the Board of Directors which revived the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. He was also a charter stockholder in the opening of four Central Florida banks during the years after World War II.

After retiring in 1966, Cook became Director of Administration of American Samoa. He served on numerous state and national committees and authored a number of professional articles. Cook also lectured at Florida Sountern College in 1962 and at the College of Education at UF in 1965. He served on National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to evaluate programs at the University of Miami and Florida State University. During 1964 and 1965, Cook was Chairman of the Florida Research and Development Council, an area of UF which worked with public schools. His travels took him around the world three times.

Cook passed away March 24, 2004 and was preceded in death by his wife, Vivian H. Cook, and his son, Denny M. Cook. He had two daughters, Mona C. McGrath and Marnette Byrki