Courtesy Northwestern State University

(April 26, 2010) A memorial service is Sunday afternoon for George Cook, the play-by-play voice for Northwestern State sports from 1979-86, when the Demons' football team included such talents as future NFL standouts Joe Delaney, Mark Duper, Bobby Hebert and Gary Reasons.

Cook, 61, passed away Friday after a battle with cancer. He provided news and sports coverage in radio at Minden before moving to the same duties at KNOC Radio in Natchitoches, and became vice president for broadcasting of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Cook also did some broadcasts of Shreveport Captains minor league baseball and Louisiana Tech athletics. He was a Louisiana Tech graduate and a native of Canton, Ohio, who had a 22-year broadcast career in West Virginia.

He is survived by his parents, his wife of 42 years, Linda, a daughter, Sarah Cook Stiltner and her husband Jason, and two grandchildren. The memorial service is Sunday afternoon at 3 EST at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston. His death drew comment from West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, who visited Cook during his stay at a Charleston hospice.

Cook was a trailblazer in his days at NSU by providing comprehensive coverage of Lady Demon basketball at a time that few universities in the region broadcast any women's basketball games.

"The thing I always appreciated so much about George, especially back in those days, was that he gave women's basketball the same respect, enthusiasm, and game coverage that he did for the guys," said Dr. Pat Pierson, then the Lady Demons' head coach. "He was a special guy with a great voice."

Cook's colorful calls made indelible impressions on listeners during his tenure as "Voice of the Demons."

"George had a great radio voice, a special flair for finding just the right words and phrases and an extensive knowledge of sports that made him an outstanding broadcaster," said Jerry Pierce, vice president for external affairs at Northwestern. "He was also a genuinely good person who became a true fan of Northwestern and the Demons during his years in Natchitoches."

Using his first name, "Don," after arriving in West Virginia, he gained statewide acclaim for his friendly and engaging broadcast style.

He hosted a morning talk show in Charleston, and he worked for Charleston's minor-league baseball teams, first as a play-by-play announcer and later as the public-address announcer for the Charleston Wheelers, the Charleston Alley Cats and the West Virginia Power. He is a member of the Power's Wall of Fame.

"Don Cook is synonymous with baseball in Charleston," said Andy Milovich, executive vice president for Palisades Baseball, which runs the Power franchise. "He's been a part of it and played a bigger role in it than probably anybody that's ever been here."

The Power had a moment of silence and a presentation on their videoboard in Cook's memory at Friday night's game. The club is planning "Don Cook Night" for later in the season. Milovich said the team will give away bobble-head coin banks in Cook's image - sitting behind a microphone - and will collect donations to benefit Hubbard Hospice House and the American Cancer Society.

Cook also spent three seasons broadcasting Marshall University football and basketball games, hosted a statewide call-in show for West Virginia football coach Don Nehlen. Since 1999, Cook worked in communications in the office of State Treasurer John Perdue.

"Don Cook fought a very courageous battle through illness and I am sorry to hear of his passing," Gov. Joe Manchin said in a statement Friday. "Don had such a positive outlook on life and he enjoyed being around the people who he intermingled with. Don was a person who was certainly not bashful about voicing his opinion.

". . . Don touched the lives of many West Virginians through his work as a public servant with the Treasurer's Office and as a broadcaster. I know that he will be truly missed."

Cook earned a master's degree in corporate communications from West Virginia University and was a lay minister in the Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations to the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1600 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston WV 25311, or Hubbard Hospice House, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston WV 25312.

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