By Joe Simnacher and Randy Lee Loftis, Staff Writers
For the last eight years, Gregg Cooke had drawn praise for his tireless and innovative efforts to give Texans a healthier place to live, first as the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and most recently as an attorney and consultant.
Mr. Cooke, 51, died Sunday, apparently of a heart attach after exercising at the downtown Dallas YMCA. He became nonresponsive shortly after entering the whirlpool in the men’s locker room.
YMCA staff and members responded with CPR and an automated external defibrillator. He was pronounced dead after being transported to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
“He was incredibly passionate about the environment,” said longtime friend and former EPA colleague David Gray. “That was reflected in everything he did. Most people saw him as very innovative, and he wasn’t shy of a confrontation. He wasn’t shy about moving forward a new idea that no one had thought about.”
Mr. Cooke built a national reputation as an EPA administrator for brokering sometimes-controversial compromises to improve air and water quality in Texas.
He had a talent for helping people resolve differences to reach a common goal, whether it was cleaner air or party politics, said longtime friend and Dallas Democratic leader Ken Molberg.
“I always see Gregg as a mediator and a facilitator,” Mr. Molberg said. “He was absolutely unmatched in getting people with differing views on the same page. He was adept at that, and he was known for that.”
Former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins was especially shocked by his friend’s sudden death. The men had long-standing lunch plans for Monday to discuss politics.
With the exception of his time as EPA administrator, Mr. Coggins can’t remember when Mr. Cooke wasn’t working on at least six political campaigns, local, state, and national.
“Public service is something I thought Gregg would return to in his life, again and again,” Mr. Coggins said.
“It was in his blood. Next to his family I think he loved being in politics and loved being in public service more than anything in the world.”
Mr. Cooke was born and raised in Abilene, where his passion for the environment began as a child, Mr. Gray said. He was an Eagle Scout, honored high school band member and yearbook photographer.
As an adult, his environmental concerns knew no man-made boundaries.
On a fall 1998 trip to Big Bend National Park, he was dismayed by the pollution that was fouling the area’s once clear blue sky.
Months later, in January 1999, he wrote a Viewpoints page column for The Dallas Morning News about the situation. He noted that one obvious source of the Big Bend pollution—coal-fired electric generating plants in northern Mexico—was not solely to blame. A report indicated industries in northeastern Texas shared responsibility and highlighted the need for further study, he wrote.
“He was fascinated by the international components of environmental protection and the complexities of that,” Mr. Gray said.
Work as consultant
At the time of his death, Mr. Cooke was a consultant to Collin, Dallas, Tarrant and Denton counties on regional smog planning. He was also counsel for the environmental law firm of Guida, Slavich & Flores in Dallas.
“Gregg was one of those rare commodities that you sometimes encounter in politics who maintain their integrity,” said Collin County Judge Ron Harris.
“He truly played an absolutely pivotal role in North Texas air, both as regional administrator and as the consultant for us,” Mr. Harris said.
Mr. Cooke earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, where he graduated cum laude in 1977.
He earned a master of foreign affairs degree from the University of Virginia in 1979 and a law degree from Baylor in 1982.
He served on the executive staff for Texas Gov. Mark White before beginning his law practice in Dallas with Geary, Stahl and Spencer, where he became a partner.
He was then with Texas Attorney General Dan Morales’ office, where he served as chief of the natural resources protection division and was the state’s North American Free Trade Agreement environment liason. He was also the Texas general counsel for the Border Environmental Corporation Commission in Juarez, before becoming a partner with the firm of Haynes & Boone in Austin.
Clinton appointee
In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Cooke to head the EPA in Dallas.
Mr. Cooke announced he was stepping down as the EA’s regional administrator in Dallas in November 2002. Although his announcement came just two days after the Republicans gained control of the Senate, he said his decision was personal and not political.
Mr. Cooke served with the EPA until Jan. 3, 2003. He was the last Clinton EPA appointee at the agency when he left office.
“Greg was extraordinarily effective in bringing people together to discuss ways to improve air quality in North Texas,” said Richard E. Greene, the EPA’s current regional administrator in Dallas.
Mr. Cooke brought real-world workable solutions to our clean air problems, Mr. Greene said.
“He was a great steward of the environment and he will be missed,” Mr. Greene said.
Mr. Cooke had recently been working closely with local government leaders concerned about plans to build additional coal-fired electric generating plants.
‘Important voice’
“There are very few people in all of North Texas who know as much about air quality as Gregg Cooke,” Dallas Mayor Laura Miller said. “He’s been an extremely important voice. I don’t know who can fill his shoes.”
Both elected officials and environmental watchdogs admired Mr. Cooke.
“It’s an enormous void in our fight on air quality,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, Texas director of the consumer and environmental group Public Citizen. “The burden he was carrying on his shoulders were heavy.”
Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher said Mr. Cooke’s death is “devastating for our whole community.”
“He was such a leader, and he was so respected,” Ms. Keliher said. “There is no ‘Greg substitute.’”
Enthusiastic, quick-witted and adventurous, Mr. Cooke loved to travel, Mr. Gray said.
“He was always putting together an excursion that was either diving or whitewater rafting,” Mr. Gray said. “One of his favorite stories was about skydiving out of an airplane with two of his buddies. He was always full of life and very enjoyable.”
He also enjoyed Indian Princess activities with his daughter, Clara.
Mr. Cooke was a member of First United Methodist Church in Dallas, where he was in the choir.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Cooke and his daughter had been to choir practice, before he visited with friends and worked out at the YMCA.
Mr. Cooke served on the board of directors for the Texas Lyceum and the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas.
A memorial will be at a yet-to-be determined time Thursday at First Methodist Church.
“This is a sad, sad day for many of us,” Mr. Molberg said.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Cooke is survived by his wife, Melanie Cooke of Dallas; parents June and Horace Cooke of Abilene; and two brothers, David Cooke of Boston and Raymond “Rusty” Cooke of El Paso.
Memorials may be made to music programs at First Methodist Church; Baylor University; or the conservation program at Caddo Lake.
Staff Writer Emily Ramshaw contributed to this report. |
