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History of Cook Park & Mayor John E. Cook TIGARD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION PAGE 3 John E. Cook and the Enduring Legacy of Cook Park John E. Cook served as Mayor of Tigard from 1984 to 1986 and had earlier been instrumental in establishing Cook Park in Tigard along the Tualatin River. He was born in Portland, Oregon in 1926 and was educated at Central Catholic High School from 1940 to 1944. He then spent two years in the Navy. He returned from active duty to attend Oregon State College (later OSU)from 1946 to 1950 and he graduated with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy in 1950. He was called to active duty for a year and a half during the Korean War then returned to become a pharmacist in 1952. In 1957 he and his wife moved to Tigard where they opened Tigard Pharmacy which they ran until 1982. John E. Cook had married Pam (Spohn) Cook and they had a daughter Julie Cook(b. 1957) and a son John L. Cook(b. 1960). Their first pharmacy was located at Greenburg Road and Pacific Highway and later the pharmacy moved to Canterbury Square,being the first tenant in this new shopping area. John E. Cook was a member of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce for over thirty years and is a past president. He was chair of the fundraising of the new build- ing for the Chamber, which is on Tigard and Main Streets. He is a member of the American Legion, Lions Club, St. Vincent De- Paul, Knights of Columbus, and St. Anthony's Church. The Cook family became pillars of the Tigard business community and John would soon accept leadership roles related to public health, the environment, and politics. He was awarded Tigard's First Citizen award in 1982 for all of his volunteer service. John E. Cook entered public life as a member of Tigard's Park Advisory Committee which was composed of six people (five private citizen members and one member of the City Council), which he served on for 10 years. This committee was charged with finding an open space for a public park. They soon became interested in some acreage along the Tualatin River. John Cook spoke with the legal caretaker for this property, as the legal owner resided in Boston, Massachusetts. He discovered the 36 acres that the committee was interested in had already been deeded to Washington County. However Julia Tigard(Mrs. Curtis Tigard) served on the Washington County Park Committee and knew that Washington County did not have sufficient funds for the development of the 36 acre property as a park so she assisted John in convincing the County Court that Tigard had the funds to develop a public park and that the 36 acre property should be deeded to Tigard. This was accomplished in the sum- mer of 1962. This park property was mainly wooded,but had some open space for future recreation. Then in October 1962 the major Columbus Day storm hit Tigard and uprooted trees on this 36 acre deeded property destined to be made into a public park. After trees and brush were torn up by the storm,John's Park Advisory Committee issued a plea to the public for assistance in the cleanup work and the Marine Reserves, Chamber of Commerce,Jaycees, and the Lions Club members all turned out to offer their aid. The downed trees were removed and an old well was found which became oper- ational to aid in the new park's development in the years before City water reached the area for the park. A formal ribbon cut- ting ceremony was held in ca.1964 which opened Tigard Park. John E. Cook remained active with fund raising to add new facili- ties and amenities to the new park through BBQ chicken roasts and sales, selling over a thousand pounds of BBQ chicken a year to a responsive community who wished the new park to succeed. When Julia Tigard resigned from the Washington County Park Board, John became a member continuing his work to beautify the Tigard region. The Tigard Park Advisory Committee contin- ued its advocacy for green space and competed for environmental improvement dollars. His efforts were supported by Howard Terpenning, executive officer of the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District. Public access to the new Tigard Park was obtained through an agreement between John C. Bilyeu (who owned the home that is now the Quello House), Tigard School District, and the City of Tigard. Fred Anderson was the attorney for all three par- ties involved in the public access discussion and he arranged for the high school and Bilyeu to each give a fraction of their proper- ty for a public road down to the Tualatin River from Durham Road. So successful were the efforts of John E. Cook in securing the original 36 acre deed to the property for the park, in fundraising for its development, and in securing public access that the Tigard City Council re-named the new park Cook Park in his honor. In the early 1970s a Councilman had come into Cook's Pharmacy and told John of the park's new name. The City of Tigard has continued to purchase properties adjacent to the original 36 acres with the most recent acquisitions being the land for the soccer field and the land for the Tupling Butterfly Garden. TIGARD HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION PAGE 4 (continued from page 3) John E. Cook worked for the State Board of Pharmacy from 1982 through 1992. This board set regulations and standards for Oregon pharmacies. He inspected local pharmacies to make certain they were in compliance with state mandates and rules. He was elevated from the post of Pharmacy Inspector to Compliance Director. Y . Cook served on Tigard's City Council for 12 years and when Wilbur Bishop resigned as Tigard's Mayor,John E. Cook ran for Mayor in a special election in May 1984 and won, and was soon re-elected in November 1984 in a regular election. He retired as Mayor in 1986 having accomplished his goals and 25 years of volunteer service at the City of Tigard. Tom Brian succeeded John E. Cook as Tigard's Mayor. John E. Cook now attends numerous public events with his son John L. Cook who currently serves as Tigard's Mayor, having been elected in 2012. Following his re- tirement John E. Cook, traveled with his wife Pam Cook in their motorhome across - t the U.S.A. Pam, who had also worked in the family pharmacy in addition to her role as a homemaker, knew their son John L. Cook had been elected Tigard's Mayor days before her death and was very proud of the entire family's accomplishments. Pam and John E.'s daughter Julie is a special education administrator in the Hillsboro School District. They also have four grandchildren, two from each child. John E. Cook (Photo by B.B.Peterson) John E. Cook's legacy is one of integrity and public leadership in the Tigard community. His motto for children and youth is"Do Your Best, in all aspects of life,"and he is certainly an excellent role model. The former Mayor still attends the current Mayor's Fireside chats held on the first Thursday of each month and shares his enthusiasm and wisdom for Tigard's future. Dr. Barbara Bennett Peterson Former Professor of History Oregon State University Historian Tigard Historical Association Richard Gaarde's 90th Birthday Celebration ,1 On April 5, a large gathering of family and friends celebrated the 90th birthday of one of Tigard's native sons, Richard Gaarde. He was born in Tigard on April 4, 1924, the son of Hans and Hilma Gaarde. Rich's roots in the area go back to 1893 when his grandfather, John Gaarde, purchased 1 1/2 acres fronting Pacific Highway and established a blacksmith shop. John's home and shop were located approximately where Gaarde Street intersects the highway. a A special guest at Rich's party was a fourth cousin from Denmark, Bente Gaarde Pe- tersen. Bente is the granddaughter of John Gaarde's brother. Appropriately enough, the party was held at the Gaarde Christian School, on the street that was named after his family. Rich has been a longtime supporter of Tigard Historical Association and all his friends Richard Gaarde with his children su PP ganssocRick,Karin and Linda. at THA congratulate him and wish him a very Happy Birthday! (Photo courtesy of the Gaarde family)