Thomas Harrison Cook

Thomas Harrison Cook of Houston, Texas was born to Lt. Harrison and Chloe Mae Strowbridge Cook in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was the oldest of four children. He was predeceased by brothers Richard Cook, William Cook, sister Beverly Caleca and granddaughter Mary Evelyn Cook. He was raised by Mr. and Mrs. Gus Simmons.

His loving wife of 69 years, Inez Henson Cook, survives. Also surviving are son Dan and daughter-in-law Andrea Cook, daughter Nancy Cook, granddaughters Denise Cook, Jenny Cook, and Regina Cook, great grandson Mac Cook, and former daughter-in-law Sandra Cook.

He was a member of the McAllen First United Methodist Church, a choir member, a member of the Administrative Board, a member of the Council on Missions and Social Concerns, and of the Keystone class. He lived in the Valley for 30 years.

Tom was employed by the Michigan Department of Social Services for over 31 years, retiring in 1974 as Deputy Director for Policy and Operations. He had been a public assistance worker, a child welfare worker in a county welfare agency, a probation officer in a juvenile court, a field supervisor for combined child welfare and public assistance, and supervisor of field operations for both programs. He had taught orientation of new public assistance, and has been responsible for editing the policy manuals of the agency.

He was a member of the 1936 state championship debate team of Kalamazoo Central High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in social science from Western Michigan University in 1940, where he was a member of the debate team, student council, editor of the student paper, and received the Men’s Union award for scholarship, leadership, and service. He was a member of the Phi Sigma Rho social fraternity, the Tau Kappa Alpha honorary forensic fraternity, and the Sigma Tau Gamma honorary social science fraternity. In 1948 he received a masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan, partly as a member of the first fully paid educational leave program of the Michigan Department of Social Services. He was elected to the honorary Phi Kappa Phi scholastic fraternity, and was in the upper 10% of his class.

Previously he worked in cost accounting and payroll at Kalamazoo Stove and Furnace Company.

At Social Services he was in charge of creating the first Child Protective Services program and the first Protective Services Program for Adults. He was in charge of creating the Medicaid program, including the automated payment system. When the federal supplements security system began, he was responsible to transfer Michigan’s old age assistance, aid to the blind, and aid to disabled recipients to the federal program. He was in charge of all federal liaisons, liaison with the Governor’s office, member of the governor’s migrant task force, coordinator of the federal departmental cost allocation plan, including direct charge time studies, cost-related foster care of children, and purchase of services from other state agencies.

He was chairman of the Governor’s interdepartmental task force for community placement of institutionalized mental patients. After retirement he worked as a consultant to Touche Ross and Co. in studies of welfare programs to Indiana, New Jersey, and Iowa. He was contract consultant to Michigan attorney general in a successful $35,000,000.00 lawsuit against the federal government for withheld federal funds.

He was a member of the Michigan State Employee Retirees Association, a member of the National Association of Social workers, and a Certified Social Worker.