H. Res. 571
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
October 10, 2002.
Whereas for 44 years, David O. ‘‘Doc’’ Cooke’s tireless dedi-
cation, skill, and involvement in Department of Defense
management issues earned him the respect of his col-
leagues and distinction as a Pentagon institution;
Whereas as the quintessential civil servant, Doc Cooke rose
to become the highest ranking career civil servant within
the Department of Defense;
Whereas in his jobs as the Director of Administration and
Management for the Office of the Secretary of Defense,
and Director of Washington Headquarters Services, Doc
Cooke was responsible for maintenance, operation, and
security of buildings of the Department of Defense in the
Washington, D.C. area, including the Pentagon Reserva-
tion;
Whereas because of his propensity to make things happen,
Doc Cooke was respectfully known as the ‘‘Mayor of the
Pentagon’’;
Whereas Doc Cooke was born in 1920 in Buffalo, New York,
and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education
from the State Teachers College at Buffalo in 1941, a
master’s degree in political science from the New York
State College for Teachers in 1942, and a law degree in
•HRES 571 EH
1950 from George Washington University, where he was
a member of the Law Review;
Whereas Doc Cooke served in the Navy during World War
II as an officer on the USS Pennsylvania; returned to ac-
tive duty during the Korean war, during which time he
served as an instructor in the School of Naval Justice;
and retired in 1968 as a Navy captain;
Whereas Doc Cooke served on Defense Secretary Neil
McElroy’s task force on Department of Defense reorga-
nization in 1958; worked for Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara, as Director of the Office of Organizational
and Management Planning, implementing changes in De-
partment of Defense organization; and worked for every
other Secretary of Defense since then;
Whereas during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Doc Cooke
was a strong advocate for renovation of the Pentagon;
Whereas many of the construction specifications supported by
Doc Cooke helped to save lives during the terrorist attack
on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001;
Whereas Doc Cooke could be seen assisting in the response
to the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on September 11,
2001;
Whereas throughout the Department of Defense, Doc Cooke
was noted for his strong support of equal employment op-
portunity for minorities, women, and individuals with dis-
abilities;
Whereas Doc Cooke was instrumental in establishing a Public
Service Academy at Anacostia High School in the Dis-
trict of Columbia, which has helped to increase the grad-
uation rate of students;
•HRES 571 EH
Whereas Doc Cooke served as a member of the seven-member
Governance Committee of United Way of the National
Capital Area’s September 11 Fund, deciding how to dis-
tribute disaster relief funds collected after September 11;
Whereas Doc Cooke has been recognized for his extraordinary
performance through numerous awards, including the De-
partment of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian
Service (the Department’s highest department career
award) seven times; the Department of Defense Medal
for Outstanding Public Service; the Department of De-
fense Medal for Distinguished Public Service twice; the
Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership from
American University (1983); the NAACP Benjamin L.
Hooks Distinguished Service Award (1994); the Presi-
dential Meritorious Rank Award (1994); the Government
Executive Leadership Award (1995); a Presidential Dis-
tinguished Rank Award (1995); a National Public Serv-
ice Award (1997); the President’s Award for Distin-
guished Federal Civilian Service (1998), the highest Gov-
ernment service award; the John O. Marsh Public Service
Award (2000); the Senior Executives Association Board
of Directors Award (2001); the Nelson A. Rockefeller
College of Public Affairs and Policy Distinguished Alum-
nus Award (2001); an award from the University at Al-
bany Alumni Association for ‘‘Recognition for Out-
standing Service’’ (2001); and the American Society of
Public Administration Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award for Distinguished Service (2002); and
Whereas on June 22, 2002, Doc Cooke died as the result of
injuries sustained in an automobile accident, after a long
and distinguished career in government, in which he be-
came the model for civil servants: Now, therefore, be it