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George M. Cooke Papers
D-028  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Biography/Administrative History
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Indexing Terms
  • Additional collection guides

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: George M. Cooke Papers
    Dates: 1940-1977
    Collection Number: D-028
    Creator/Collector: Cooke, George M.
    Extent: 15.1 linear feet
    Repository: UC Davis. Special Collections
    Davis, California 95616-5292
    Abstract: Wine Institute bulletins, wine newsletters, extension minutes, administrative handbooks, reprints, certificates and awards.
    Language of Material: English

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. George M. Cooke Papers. Collection Number: D-028. UC Davis. Special Collections

    Biography/Administrative History

    George M. Cooke was an Extension Enology Specialist at University of California, Davis and active in California's wine industry until his retirement in 1992. Cooke was born in Pensacola, Florida in 1929. He lived with his family in several locations around the United States before graduating high school in Coronado, California. He subsequently attended San Diego State College (now San Diego State University) and received a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1952. After graduating from San Diego State College, Cooke worked part-time at the Louis M. Martini Winery and at the Naval Biological Laboratory at University of California, Berkeley. In 1958, he accepted a position as a technician in the Viticulture and Enology Department at UC Davis. Two years later, Cooke accepted the Extension Enology Specialist position when UC Davis founded its University Extension division in 1960. During his career at UC Davis, Cooke performed community and stakeholder outreach for the university's Viticulture and Enology program and was a recognized authority on California's wine and grape industry. From 1962 to 1967, he was the chairman of the wine judging committees for the California State Fair. In 1985, Cooke was the chairman of the advisory committee for State Fair wine judging and helped develop a qualification test for judges of the competition. Cooke spoke to audiences around California about advances in wine making and participated in conferences and programs that promoted awareness of advances in the wine industry. He also presided over wine-related events at UC Davis such as the 1985 Wine Grape Day during which economic problems affecting the wine industry were discussed. In 1989, Cooke participated in UC Davis' first annual Recent Advances in Viticulture and Enology symposium. As part of his position in UC Davis' Extension division, Cooke developed viticulture classes at UC Davis and other California-based viticulture programs aimed at educating professionals in the wine industry on advances in winemaking. Cooke coauthored two articles that were published in the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources journal Hilgardia. Cooke's 1980 article "100 Years of Wine Microbiology" details the contributions the University of California has made to the science of wine microbiology. His 1989 article "California Wineries: Growth and Change in a Dynamic Industry" reports on the development of California's wine industry by analyzing data on the age, size, and geographic distribution of California wineries. Cooke is also a coauthor of the 1988 book Making Table Wine at Home which details the principles, equipment, and ingredients necessary for amateurs to begin producing wine at home. Cooke retired from his position at UC Davis in 1992 and moved to Visalia, California where he was active in a local church community. He passed away on May 10, 2010 and is survived by his two brothers Stephen and Donald Cooke.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    Wine Institute bulletins, wine newsletters, extension minutes, administrative handbooks, reprints, certificates and awards.

    Indexing Terms

    Wine and wine making.
    University of California, Davis. Cooperative Extension.
    Wine Institute (San Francisco, Calif.)

    Additional collection guides