Arthur Edwin Cook (March 19, 1928 – February 21, 2021) was an American

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the

50 metre rifle prone 50 meter rifle prone (formerly known as one of four free rifle disciplines) is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle (5.6 mm) caliber rifle. The sport is base ...

event at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

in London.

Biography

Cook was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and graduated from

McKinley Technology High School McKinley Technology High School is a public citywide 9th–12th grade high school in the District of Columbia Public Schools in Northeast Washington, D.C. The school, an offshoot of Central High School (now Cardozo Senior High School), originally ...

. He attended the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

, where he was the captain of the rifle team and a member of

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity in North America. As of 2021, it had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 118,000 alumni. The fraternity is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded on February 26, 1897, at Vincennes Uni ...

fraternity. Cook began shooting in 1939 while attending a Boy Scout Camp. In 1941, he came in last place in a Boy Scout team shooting match. He stayed with the sport and kept practicing. He won his first victory in 1946 at the National Junior Smallbore Rifle Championship. He then entered the University of Maryland and led them to the National Intercollegiate Team Championships in 1947 and 1949 where they set record scores both years. The team lost a close championship contest to the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...

in 1948 and took second place. He was named to the All-American Rifle Team all three years. He left school in 1949 to work for a gun supply business. In 1951, he joined the U.S. Air Force He became a lieutenant and was assigned to the Gunnery Officers School. Aside from the 1948 Olympic Team, Cook also was a member of the U.S. teams at the 1949 International Shooting Union World Championships, the

1951 Pan American Games The 1951 Pan American Games, officially known as I Pan American Games () and commonly known as Buenos Aires 1951, were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the ...

, the 1952 ISU World Championships, the 1954 ISU World Championships, and the

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...

. He won two medals at the 1949 World Championships and one medal in 1952. In 1953 and 1957 he won the National Gallery Rifle Championship. He coached the U.S. Deaf Olympic Team in 1969 and 1993, and helped establish the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Marksmanship Training Program. He was inducted into the

University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by the M Club Foundation to honor student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who made significant contributions to athletics at the University of Maryland, College Park, U ...

in 1982. He has also been inducted into the USA Shooting Hall of fame. In 1955 he formed his own wholesale supply company, Arthur Cook Supply Corp. Cook died on February 21, 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Arthur 1928 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Washington, D.C. American male sport shooters ISSF rifle shooters Olympic gold medalists for the United States in shooting Shooters at the 1948 Summer Olympics Maryland Terrapins rifle shooters Olympic medalists in shooting Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1951 Pan American Games Shooters at the 1959 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in shooting Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in shooting United States Air Force officers American military sports players Sigma Pi members 20th-century American sportsmen