David Ohlmer "Doc" Cooke (August 31, 1920 – June 22, 2002) was a

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

civilian administrator who served under twelve Secretaries of Defense over a period of 45 years. Often called the "

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

", Cooke was the department's highest-ranking career civil servant as Director of Administration and Management, and as Director of

Washington Headquarters Services Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Field Activity, created in 1977, to provide administrative and management support to multiple DoD components and military departments in the National Capital ...

. He was also responsible for administering the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

for many key department officials.

Early life

Cooke was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

in 1920. He graduated from the

State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public research university in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 a ...

with a B.S. degree in 1941, and earned his M.S. degree from the

State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of N ...

in 1942. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and later earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

The George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress and is the first ...

in 1950. Cooke went back on active duty in 1951 and served in a number of posts until he retired as a Navy captain in 1968.

Government career

Cooke had a federal government career of more than 45 years in the Pentagon from 1957 to 2002. Notable positions he served in include Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Administration from 1971 to 1988, Director of the Washington Headquarters Services since 1977, and Director of Administration and Management in the

Office of the Secretary of Defense The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out au ...

since 1988. Cooke was involved with Defense Department management issues since 1958, when he served on Defense Secretary Neil McElroy's task force on Department of Defense reorganization. He served under Defense Secretary

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American businessman and government official who served as the eighth United States secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson ...

and helped institute changes in departmental management. Following his Navy retirement, Cooke headed the Department's Office of Organizational and Management Planning, a job that evolved into his final post. In this position, Cooke was responsible for the

physical plant A physical plant, building plant, mechanical plant or industrial plant (and where context is given, often just plant) refers to the technical infrastructure used in operation and maintenance of a given facility. The operation of these technical f ...

and personnel administration of the Pentagon. His responsibilities for security, maintenance, and operations in the building earned him the title "Mayor" - the phrase "Mayor of the Pentagon" had often been used to refer to him during his tenure, a nickname that continued to be used for those who held the position after him, including Raymond F. DuBois.

Death and legacy

On June 22, 2002, Cooke died from injuries that were a result of a

car accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

on June 6. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, overlooking the Pentagon. His wife of 52 years, Marion McDonald Cooke, died in 1999. The couple had raised three children, Michele C. Sutton of Springfield, David Cooke and Lot Cooke, both of Fairfax. He also had two grandchildren at the time of his death. Elizabeth M. Cooke, who was born in 2000, and David B. Cooke who was born in 2002 a week before Cooke's death (both children from David O. Cooke Jr.). ANCExplorer David O

In 2005, the "David O. Cooke Excellence in Public Administration Award" was established in Cooke's honor to recognize a DoD employee with three to 10 years of federal service who occupies a non-managerial position and exhibits great potential as a future federal executive.

Recognitions

Cooke received numerous awards for his work. He received the

Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award The Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award is the highest civilian award given by the United States Department of Defense. This award and accompanying Distinguished Civilian Service Medal is the department's highest award given ...

seven times. He also received the

Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

and the

Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service is the highest award that is presented by the United States Secretary of Defense to a private citizen, politician, non-career federal employee, or foreign national. It is presented f ...

two times. Both medals are rarely awarded to career civil servants. Other awards included the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

Benjamin L. Hooks Distinguished Service Award (1994); the Government Executive Leadership Award (1995); the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award (1995); the National Public Service Award (1997); the

President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service Established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 27 June 1957 by , the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service was created to allow the President to recognize civilian officers or employees of the federal government who have ...

(1998); the John O. Marsh Public Service Award (2000); the Senior Executives Association Board of Directors Award (2001); and the

American Society for Public Administration American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of gover ...

Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service (2002).David O. Cooke, 'Mayor of the Pentagon' Dies
. ''DefenseLINK News'', United States Department of Defense. June 25, 2002. (''public domain'')

References

External links

Presentation of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service to David O. "Doc" Cooke
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, The Pentagon Auditorium, Thursday, January 21, 1999
Memorial Tribute For DAVID O. "DOC" COOKE
Washington Headquarters Services. July 12, 2002. (''public domain'')
DoD Recognizes Exceptional Civilian Employees
Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. November 16, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, David O. 1920 births 2002 deaths Lawyers from Buffalo, New York University at Buffalo alumni University at Albany, SUNY alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers United States Department of Defense officials Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service Burials at Arlington National Cemetery