Supporting Young Women in STEM

Alison Frederick says her father, Gordon Cook ’62, was a modest and reserved man who lived his life with the simple values of honesty, steadfastness, the importance of meaningful work, and the acceptance of responsibility. “He was a person who did not talk much about himself; however, there was one thing he did emphasize, and that was the value of education,” she says.

Cook, who earned a BS in mechanical engineering at WPI and an MS and a PhD at Purdue University, and his wife, Carol Ann, a chemist by education, instilled the importance of education in their children from very young ages.

“Both of our parents were science-minded, and they saw firsthand the opportunities and security provided by a college education, particularly in the STEM fields,” Frederick says. “They were grateful for the opportunities they had to earn college degrees and they each considered those opportunities a great privilege.”

Like many parents, the Cooks worked hard to ensure that their children had the opportunity to earn a college-level education. While they encouraged them to explore a variety of fields, including STEM fields, they recognized that many young women didn’t have positive science experiences in their early school years or didn’t have opportunities to learn about STEM.

Frederick remembers her parents sharing stories from their own childhoods when the career choices for women were often limited to teaching, nursing, and secretarial roles. Not wanting their children to be limited professionally, they stressed—with their daughters, especially—that they could choose any career they wanted, and that education was a tool to give women both equality in the workplace and control of their life circumstances. Ultimately, all three Cook children chose careers that require technical knowledge and strong problem-solving abilities.

Forward-thinking Gordon Cook passed away in 2000, but equally progressive Carol Ann ensured that his legacy as an advocate for education would continue. The Cook children knew their father was happy at WPI and that it was a very special place to both their parents, so they were not surprised when their mother recently gave instructions to support the university.

“Dad loved learning,” Frederick says. “He read voraciously and traveled extensively. Even when faced with a deadly illness, he chose to participate in a trial at Johns Hopkins, becoming part of a study that has benefited many patients since.”

The Cooks’ gift created the Carol Ann and Gordon Cook ’62 Camp Reach Endowed Fund. Frederick says Camp Reach was such a natural fit for the values her parents held dear. It will help ensure that the couple’s lifelong passion for STEM education, especially for women, becomes their legacy.

Camp Reach, winner of a 2011 U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, was created in 1997 to generate interest in engineering and technology among rising seventh-grade girls and to enhance their self-confidence and motivation toward STEM education. The endowed fund will provide financial support to girls and families who would otherwise not be able to attend the program.

“The Carol Ann and Gordon ’62 Cook Camp Reach Endowed Fund will be used to provide direct scholarships to campers, increasing the camp’s ability to provide an immersive engineering experience to middle school girls in need of financial assistance,” says Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, associate teaching professor of mechanical engineering and one of the directors of Camp Reach. “We are grateful that the Cook family decided to make the increase of women in STEM a part of its legacy through this endowment.”

“I love that Camp Reach provides campers with as many female role models as possible and strives to connect the participants with students and faculty who might help them start thinking about their future paths in STEM,” Frederick says. “WPI provided my dad the learning and confidence to know he could ‘swim with the big fish’ in a graduate program, and he ultimately enjoyed a 25-year career with E.I. Dupont. His career made him happy and enabled him to support his family; he never asked for much more. He was a man of deep faith and that drove his desire to give back. Our family is pleased to know the Carol Ann and Gordon Cook ’62 Camp Reach Endowed Fund will give back in support of women in STEM for many generations to come.”