Gary Cook Memorial Scholarship

The Mississippi Band Community Mourns the loss of Gary Cook, DSU Director of Bands from 1989-1997.  

In memory of my husband, Gary Cook, I am
writing to ask for contributions to endow a
scholarship in his name at Delta State
University. The scholarship would be given to
an Instrumental Music Major. Gary was the
Director of Bands at Delta State from 1989 to 1996.

As a teacher/professor, he taught some
of the finest young people, many of whom went
on to be great teachers and band directors. I
want to keep his philosophy of teaching alive!

Gary believed that hard work and
dedication had to be involved if you had a
good band. He reflected this by getting
“down in the trenches” to ensure that the
students knew how to play every note of
the music they were performing. He
studied new literature and attended many
concerts to improve his knowledge of
style and blend.

After retirement, Gary would travel many
miles to listen to and assist his previous
students whom he considered friends. He
wanted them to feel his support, and he
was always filled with pride watching
those he taught do well. After his love for
his family, band programs in Mississippi
were so important to him. He spent his
entire adult life working to improve
teaching and learning

The scholarship we want to set up will be
an endowed scholarship. It will begin with
an initial gift of $10,000 but must sit for a
year without being awarded. The funds
will then be invested and the earnings will
provide the scholarship. So far, we have
$1,950.
Please help me spread the word about this
endeavor. Gary was not one to toot his
own horn; however, if we can make this
endowment happen, the scholarship
awarded to a music education major will
help a talented young person keep music
education alive and thriving in our state.”
-Hanna Cook and
Whitney Cook McNamara