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