21 minute read
Gary Cook retires
Gary Cook: He is History
True to the conviction of his spirit and vocation at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Cook’s time in the classroom here is, well ... history. Coach Cook, a longtime history teacher and a legend on the soccer sideline, is retiring after 43 years at the end of the current academic year. This spread honors him and all he has done for the WMA Community. Congrats to you, Gary Cook. And thank you!
Gary Cook: A difference maker ‘every day’ for 43 years at WMA
As the National Football League season was ending this year, there was a great deal of speculation about whether GOAT (Greatest of All Time) quarterback Tom Brady would retire. Brady did retire, bringing a great deal of disappointment to his many fans.
The WMA community recently experienced similar disappointment. At a faculty meeting in Alumni Memorial Chapel on Jan. 26, Head of School Brian Easler announced that WMA’s GOAT history teacher Gary Cook would be retiring at the end of this academic year after 43 years of outstanding service to the Academy.
The response to the announcement about Gary’s retirement created among the WMA faculty and student body the same disappointment as Brady’s retirement did for his fans.
As the news settled in, we began to reflect on the many accomplishments of this giant among the faculty and his countless contributions to the Academy. The WMA community would like to thank this great educator for a job well done, and also tell him that he will be missed. As a teacher, as a coach, as a mentor to younger faculty members and as a friend to many of us, Gary can look back with pride on a very successful tenure at WMA.
Passion is the first word that comes to mind when describing Gary’s role as a history teacher. While he could be a very fiery player on the court playing faculty basketball on Tuesday nights in our gym or very competitive on the soccer field playing against students in a pickup game, these moments pale in comparison to his enthusiasm for discussing great historical events in the classroom with his students.
Gary’s passion for history is legendary, and it is also contagious as many of his former students have gone on to study history in college because they had Gary as a history teacher at WMA. This passion for teaching history was not confined to simply inculcating facts into the minds of his students. In a Cook history course there were high academic standards, and Gary prided himself for consistently maintaining these standards over the years.
Students were expected to be active class participants, and Gary instilled in his students the concept of critical thinking long before this • Don Kelly, left, and responsibility of being a term became part of contemporary educational Gary Cook together at table leader six times. jargon. In the analysis of historical events, Gary the Bunion Derby. Having a faculty member demanded clear logical thinking from his students, represent our school in this important educational and he expected them to strip themselves of any activity certainly enhanced WMA’s academic biases and to analyze historical events without reputation. prejudice. Most importantly, he expected his Gary’s legacy as a teacher will live on at WMA students to write coherent and persuasive papers in the work of the current teachers on the faculty about the events discussed in class. that he helped form. Alumna and sixth-year
Nowhere were these expectations more clearly history teacher Sommer Mahoney said: “Gary on display than in Gary’s Advanced Placement has taught me so much about teaching; not just U.S. History course. Gary took pride in the fact the concrete details of fashioning an engaging that many students considered this course to and intelligent lesson plan but also the softer be the most challenging in the WMA curriculum. skills. Skills like identifying how to sense when There was no way for a student to earn an “A” in a kid can be pushed to go deeper or needs a this course unless they met Gary’s high standards. moment to reflect; how to design a lesson so However, even those students who did not earn that the kids find the key concepts on their own; an “A” often returned to our campus praising and how to create a feeling of safety and trust in thanking Gary because the challenging a classroom so that we can discuss challenging discussions and clear thinking he trained them topics. Gary is a master teacher, and I could to participate in prepared them for success in their not be more lucky or more proud to have been college courses which involved similar tasks. his actual student, and now his mentee.”
When the College Board, an industry leader In addition to teaching history, Gary’s in educational testing, heard about Gary’s commitment to his other passion—soccer— extraordinary commitment to teaching AP U.S. has made an indelible mark on WMA’s athletic History, they invited him to serve as a grader history. Gary became the best soccer coach for the AP U.S. History Examinations. Gary did this for 10 years and was given the important Continued on following page.
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that he could be. He devoted time for his personal professional development in attaining the highest coaching licenses awarded by the United Soccer Coaches Association, and he frequently was invited by this organization to be a presenter at soccer clinics nationwide. In this service, Gary Cook again boosted WMA’s reputation on a national level.
The 35 years that Gary coached Boys’ Varsity Soccer became known as the Golden Age of WMA soccer as our team was victorious 234 times under his leadership. Gary’s teams were the New England Boys’ Prep School champions three times, and they captured the WNEPSSA (Western New England Prep School Soccer Association) Ray Brown Trophy five years in a row (2003–2007).
Gary received the Larry E. Briggs Award for his outstanding contributions to soccer in 2013. In addition, he was named Massachusetts State Coach of the Year on two occasions, and he was inducted into the WNEPSSA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016.
In closing, I think back to the announcement of Gary’s retirement at the faculty meeting in January. After making the announcement, Mr. Easler invited Gary to speak to the faculty, and the faculty gave Gary a much-deserved standing ovation.
Gary then shared some reflections with the faculty about his life and career at WMA. He mentioned that one time he was driving with his son, Tim, and they were having a father-son talk about Tim’s future. Tim had mentioned that he did not think that he would be following his father into teaching. Tim then asked Gary about his teaching experience and asked Gary whether he thought that he had made a difference as a teacher. Gary told us that his answer to Tim was, “Yes, on my best days I think I do make a difference.”
As for me, Don Kelly, I have seen Gary Cook, master teacher, varsity coach, advisor and colleague, up close and in action for the past 43 years, and I respectfully disagree. Gary, here at WMA you made a difference EVERY day.
Your colleagues and your students, present and past, will attest to this with me, Gary, in saying farewell to you as a faculty member, let me repeat Brian Easler’s elegant valedictory to you at the faculty meeting, “You might be leaving the house, Coach, but you will always be part of the family.”
Community Reflections
It has been difficult for me to come to grips with the fact that Gary Cook is actually retiring. To me, I will find it difficult to even think of our school not having this man being an integral part of our daily campus life. I first met Gary Cook in the spring of 1983 at the wedding of a mutual friend. I would begin teaching at WMA that fall and become Mr. Cook’s colleague in the History Department. I would then also become his assistant coach with Boys’ Varsity Soccer for 12 years, until I moved to become head coach of the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team. Thirty-nine years later, I look back on his career with great admiration. It has been such a tremendously rewarding experience to have worked with him as a fellow teacher of history and through our mutual love of the game of soccer. His coaching legacy is certainly enshrined within the history of Wilbraham & Monson athletics. However, the true impact of his career exists within the memories of the student-athletes he influenced during his many decades here. Who they were here and who they would become in later life is his true legacy. He has been a great colleague, a great teacher, a great coach and a great friend.”
—don nicholSon ’79, director of athleticS
• Don Nicholson ’79, left, with Gary Cook at a coaching retirement roast in June 2016.
“Best of luck, and thank you for being an influential teacher in my life.”
—minG chanG ’89
“Thank you for always making WMA feel like home!”
—courtney fallon ’17
“As one of many students lucky enough to sit in your classroom over the past 40 years, I thank you!”
—heather little ’13
“Simply put, you were the best teacher I ever had.”
—william metzGer ’97
“You have made such an impact on my personal and academic life, and I know that I am a better student and person because of you.”
—julia puppolo ’20
• John Boozang, left, with Sean McGrath ’07 with a “Cook Sendoff Game” T-shirt during Reunion 2016. In my first season as a varsity baseball head coach, our team featured great kids, most of whom were mediocre ballplayers; we won two games. A week before the May varsity banquet, I confided in Gary that I had no idea of what, if anything, I could offer to adequately summarize our season and also honor the players’ efforts. Without delay, Gary suggested the perfect opener, a quote by Thomas Payne: ‘These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.’
It’s no wonder Gary was quick to reference Payne. Throughout his remarkable tenure at WMA— as a master teacher, department head and faculty advisor; as a revered coach in soccer, baseball and basketball; as a Model U.N. leader and in countless other roles—it’s clear that Gary’s student-centered focus has always been on the journey, not the destination, and the growth from struggles along the way. That’s not to say that Gary isn’t concerned about results or winning—he is; and we thank him for all the success, accomplishments and pride he’s inspired throughout the years.”
—john boozanG, director of colleGe counSelinG
I’ve been blessed to have Coach, Mrs. Cook, Colin and Tim in my life for over 30 years. Thank you for mentoring me beyond my Academy years into adulthood, marriage and parenthood. One of my fondest memories was Monday B period coffee and bagels that Mrs. Cook would have set aside for me while I watched the boys at the house my senior year. My coffee addiction thanks you. Even though my boarding school career was brief, it was no coincidence that I chose to teach U.S. History and coach soccer. And to this day, most mornings consist of coffee and a bagel.”
—yd kwon ’88
A True Gaffer
gaf·fer
/ˈɡafər/ noun
1. the chief electrician in a motion-picture or television production unit.
2. informal an old man.
3. informal • British a person in charge of others; a boss.
It was a hot afternoon— very hot—several days into the 2014 preseason. The boys were breaking a sweat just walking from the dressing room to the soccer pitch. One lad in particular, who had taken it upon himself to get out early and get extra warmed up, was perspiring heavily. Until he wasn’t. Somewhere in the span of training, maybe 30 minutes in, without another player near him, Jahkeem collapsed.
I was only three years out of college, working my first job in the triple threat—teaching, coaching, dorm dadding—at the Academy. I had taken the CPR classes, but in the heat of the moment, as we approached the player lying prostrate on the pitch, I was hardly sure what I was looking at— concussion, playacting, taking a nap?
Gary knew. And before I had even come to understand the seriousness of it all, Coach Cook had our players running for ice bags and packing the boy in. Heat stroke. Where every second is of the essence. Coach’s response may well have preserved Jahkeem’s life that day— a player who went on to be a team MVP and All-Region selection.
Mr. Cook has been in the business of life-building for some many years now. I first came under his tutelage as a club soccer player for Western United FC in 2005, my senior year of high school. Disillusioned about college prospects and unsure what the next chapter would hold, Coach Cook helped me commit to what would be a life-transforming PG year at WMA.
My first impression of Gary’s coaching was “this guy stops practice more than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Five years later, fresh out of undergrad and under tutelage this time as his assistant coach, my impression was ... pretty much the same. But, as a budding educator, what I grew to see was how he used the field as a classroom. And more, how he used all of the spaces he lived to rein in and build up the folks around him—a real gaffer.
The soccer pitch at the Academy is like his second home, and “Coach” his second favorite title after “Dad.” “The ball speaks the language,” he would say, trying to make global citizens of us. “Is it good enough?” he would ask, compelling us to dig deeper into our craft. “Get stuck in!” he would whisper with a steely fist, encouraging us to bring an extra edge to our every endeavor. Whether it was on the pitch, in the classroom in Fisk, the dining hall or in his own living room
• Sean McGrath ’07, second from right, with Coach Cook, left, after a Western New England Prep School Soccer Association All-Star game in 2006.
(where he aspired to recruit book lovers, coffee snobs and Manchester United fans), Coach would coach. And I don’t expect much will change in retirement besides the venues.
Mr. Coach Gary Cook—man of many titles, consummate educator, relentless advocate for the faculty, lifelong advisor, loving father and husband, true gaffer— enjoy the retirement. I’ll see ya on the sidelines.
— Sean mcGrath ’07
If These Walls Could Talk
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Snapshots of Gary Cook’s classroom in Mattern Science Center. For many years, he taught his history classes in the basement of Fisk Hall.
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1 Top shelf frames
Hugh Harrell, my first mentor here, and a collection of photos from the 1998 New England Championship team. A gift from a parent.
2 Bookshelves
Organized by section; banned books are on the third shelf.
3 Grateful Dead album
Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton spoke on campus and signed the album cover. 4 Celtics Bobbleheads
Tommy Heinsohn and Bob Cousy bobbleheads.
5 Larry Bird poster
In my classrooms since the 1980s. LB is symbolic for all of my students—everyone said he couldn’t make it in the NBA. He worked hard and prepared, and he made it ... and that’s what I want for my students. 6 The People Speak poster & Democracy T-shirt
In grad school, I was introduced to history professor Howard Zinn. He has been called a Marxist, as he looks at history from the ground up. I was fascinated by his work, heard him speak and so I introduced him to my students. The People Speak is actors and actresses performing pieces of history. The Democracy T-shirt is a gift from a student— Patrick Agahigian ’09—who went to hear him speak. 7 Tim O’Brien poster
He taught a class about Vietnam history for years. Read the book, heard him speak and came home with the poster.
8 Celtics vs. 76ers photo
A gift from Don Kelly, the photo has six or seven Hall of Famers in it. And “DK” is a hall of famer.
9 Monaco sign
From Model UN. I always displayed one of the countries we had. 10 Wilbraham Academy pennant
My wife, Debbie, found it at a tag sale in Harwich, Massachusetts.
11 Soccer team championships
Commemorative plaques of championship seasons.
from LEft:
Dr. Stephanie Easler, Gary Cook and Head of School Brian P. Easler.
Letter to the WMA Community: From Head of School Brian P. Easler sent January 26, 2022
Dear Titans,
There are a handful of faculty members at WMA who were here long before I arrived in 1998. There are others, also, who arrived at roughly the same time as me, maybe a year or two before, but I’m talking about people who had already been here for a good, long while and were already leaders within the school. These folks taught me what it means to be part of a community like this. They guided me, mentored me, supported me and, most of all, modeled what it means to be a member of a true learning community. They have done this for all of us here today and countless others over the years, and their collective influence on their colleagues, their students and this school is immeasurable. Gary Cook is one of those faculty members, which is why it is so bittersweet to announce today that he will be retiring at the end of this school year.
This is, of course, a joyous time for Gary. It’s what we all work toward. His wife, Deb, retired last year and his boys are starting families. Gary and Deb have a house on the Cape, and I know they have big plans for any time Deb is able to coax him away from the trout streams. Gary leaves behind a career of superb teaching and coaching, and extraordinary impact on decades of students, and he leaves behind a legacy here at WMA of which any teacher would be proud.
I am truly happy for Gary and his family, but it is also difficult to imagine WMA without Mr. Cook—Coach Cook. Gary often reminds me of the speech I read upon being named head, where I talked of sitting on the senior bridge and thinking of this place as my home. I was thinking about Gary and others like him when I sat on the bridge that day, as I have so many other days. This is my home, it’s our home, and it’s hard to imagine this home without Gary Cook in it.
You might be leaving the house, Coach, but you will always be part of the family.
Brian P. Easler Head of School Gary Cook: Abridged History
Wilbraham & Monson Academy has been blessed to have Mr. Cook as a history teacher for parts of six decades, from 1979 to his retirement at the end of the 2021–2022 academic year.
teachinG at wma
• History Department: 1979–2022 • History Department Chair: 1984–1992, 1994–2007
coachinG at wma
• Head Coach Boys’ Soccer: 1981–2015 • New England Champions: 1998, 2002, 2006 • Class M Champions (Ray Brown Cup):
Western New England Prep School
Soccer Association – 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 • WNEPSSA Overall Champions (1st place of 50 schools): 2005, 2006 • Massachusetts Prep/Private Coach of the Year: 1998, 2005 • Overall coaching record: 234–203–92 • WNEPSSA Coaches Hall of Fame:
Class of 2016 • Larry Briggs Award: Pioneer Soccer
Official Lifelong Contributions
Award, 2013 • Basketball – JV and 3rds: 30-plus years • Baseball – Varsity and JV: 10 years
reSidential and School life at wma
• Cum Laude Society • Dormitory Experience • Class Advisor: 1983, 1999 • Rules and Discipline Committee • Department Head • Evening Study Hall • Black Student Group Advisor
education
• Master of Arts, Liberal Studies (History), Wesleyan University, 1992 • B.A., Sociology, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, 1976
family
• Married Deborah in 1977 • Sons Colin ’04 and Timothy ’06 (non-grad)
Goodbye WMA: ‘I learned from you and with you’
Dear reader,
Let me put this in context, I’ve been at the Academy since Jimmy Carter was in the White House ...
That this occurred was not part of a master plan, but it happened. Arriving in the fall of 1979, I knew next to nothing about prep schools, but I was certified to teach and had already coached high school soccer for three years. My wife, Deb, said “OK” and here we are 43 years down the road ...
Among my new duties that first year was to be advisor to the new ninth grade. Four years later when the class of 1983 graduated, I was hooked ... soon followed by a family—sons Colin (born in 1985), Timothy (1987)— and, through the decades, three large retrievers.
I was informed in my interview, it’s not a job. It’s a culture and lifestyle— living on campus, teaching, coaching three sports, advisees, dorm life, study hall (yuck), clubs and student activities—and I did it all. You live where you work, with adults and young people—there aren’t many left from the formative years. Faculty friends and families came and went, but you the students, with all your generational titles, ending now with Gen Z, were pretty much the same—most hardworking, a few harder to engage, all eager to grow up and chase dreams or explore new passions that a prep school opportunity presented to you.
Teaching history, which requires some skills and knowledge of content, and sociology, where the “norms” matter—well, holding students to high standards—always felt right; and I hope I challenged you and supported you at the same time.
I believed you should be in dress code (still do). I wanted my teams to train and play the right way, respect the game and strive to improve over a season. I believe the lessons of sports and academics were not all that different: prepare to do your best, learn something when things went sideways and keep moving forward.
I hope my good days outnumber the bad ones. For the more recent of you, if I played a song you liked in class or you laughed at my limited technological capacity, if I made you smile, celebrated your first A in my class (yes, that did happen) or helped a down day get a little better, applauded your growth and grit, shared a good book, excited a new academic passion or you just beat a good soccer team on Corbin Field ... well then it was a good run.
If I wronged you with deeds or words, it was not intentional and please accept my belated apology.
There are too many advisees, students, athletes, Model UNers to name—but you impacted me in ways you will never know. I learned from you and with you.
Over time, former students became adult friends and our lives came together yet again. Colin and Tim’s Wilbraham friends became ours as well. I’ve been to your weddings and much more, as connections kept growing and we all got older.
I will miss: • Playing faculty basketball • Campus jogs and hikes that happened long before COVID • Teaching ninth grade history in Fisk basement and AP US • Standing on the soccer field looking up at fall foliage • An overflowing Rubicon with winter ending • The beauty of spring and elegant seniors crossing the Rubicon one last time at graduation • Historical and philosophical quotes • Cartoons and music in class • and you!
None of this could have happened without family: • My wife, Debbie, whose love made the journey possible. • My dad, who came to decades of games, knew the players and was at my 200th soccer win. • My sons Colin and Tim.
WMA provided a home that included the keys to a gym, playing fields and friends. Growing up in campus housing was weird, but we now all have a place of our own and you continue to make me proud every day.
The buildings and fields will remain behind, but the students and adults that shaped this experience—and the memories—will travel with me to Cape Cod.
Not long ago, my best friend from boyhood told me, “For a guy with no plan at all, you had a hell of a life so far.”
Yes, I did.
I will leave a part of me behind, but it’s time for the next chapter.
Be well, stay safe and thank you.
