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>> This is an oral history interview with Earl Pete Cooke class of 1947 conducted by Marilyn summers on July the 31st 1905 at Mr Cook's home in Atlanta Georgia the subject of this interview is student life at Georgia Tech Mr Cook thank you so much for having us here today please will you tell us your story begin at the beginning.

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Well I was born in troupe County in. $919.00 October 15th $919.00. And we lived on a farm and I went to a county school. In troop County. And my father wanted me to go to Georgia Tech and so they knew that that that the county school would not prepare me to go to Georgia Tech so.

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They made arrangements for me to come to Atlanta and live with my grandma. And go to Tech High School so that's what I did I came good Lana and 1935 and graduated from Turkey in 1937. And that fall course I went to Georgia to get it as a freshman.

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I guess I really don't have a lot to recall about those years those 1st years at Georgia Tech either as you know I started in 31 and finished in 47. And how I would children got. Old enough to. Want to know what took me to new years to get out of school.

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But of course the war and of the you know I'll tell you about that so in 1937 when you started you were how old you are still very young well I guess I was. 1718 something like that yes I was a regular you know I was at the regular age to begin and do you remember what it was like the very 1st time you came to the campus had you ever been there before that time I was well yes I.

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Had been there before I guess my father and I had come to Atlanta to go to football games and things like that not a whole lot but I was certainly familiar with it going to tech high and Atlantic Ocean that was not far away which as you may know is now the greatest campus in Atlanta and we.

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I remember going the 1st day I went my father was and took me over there and I remember standing in a long line to register I remember that very well and my father was with and I remember telling him just go on and leave me I'll be able to handle it you know well I think you really want to stay.

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But you know where I got registered and and I just went through the normal freshman classes Fortunately I'd taken advanced algebra it screw and so algebra didn't give me any problem at college algebra. Professor Roland Monday off was algebra teacher which that name may be familiar to some of you.

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And not to things like. Freshman English and I took French. And. Shop. Took metal shop and mechanical. And mechanical drawing of course everybody had to have mechanical drawing in those days. And I learned how to print and draw a straight line and things like that. Did you live on the campus.

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Not those not those 2 years I lived with my grandmother and walked from or juniper street I would walk to school and then during those years another reason I guess I didn't have a whole lot of what you might call normal association as a freshman student freaking lever go home to a grange over the weekend.

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And had every weekend but did you have a car. Well my grandmother had a car and machine I would drive down there are sometimes this doesn't seem normal today but we would ride the train the N.W.T. passionate train would go they were frequent trains during that time and we could ride the train to the Grange I was actually born in the postmaster post office was called get it or Georgia which was a little place on the railroad between the Grange and West Point Georgia so my folks would meet me there and we get on the train come back to Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.

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But back to the tech experience I had like I say the normal classes I think of any freshman. And. Earlier where later on in my say the 1st 2 or 3 years I was a little late latter part of that time I was able to get a job at an engineering company and I worked part time at this engineering company.

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And. So I didn't take a full load and make a long story short I did not graduate with my own 1901 class but I took advanced Doro T. C. and in 1941 when my class graduated I got my R O T C commission. And then in 1901 as you may remember from history it was a time when things were beginning to pick up from a military standpoint and on August 15th 1941 I was called into service as a 2nd Lieutenant.

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And with which branch of the service I took costar to over it all wrote the C. tech but I was taking a lexical engineering and at that time I wished I had been in the Signal Corps. R O T C But in a way I was Colin and as a 2nd lieutenant in the coast and was sent down to.

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Camp stood Georgia near Hinesville in Savannah. It's not called for to do it as a sort of permanent post it was camps to it then. And. While soon after I was cold and I realized that I have a might have a chance to transfer to the Signal Corps and I requested a transfer to the Signal Corps and was granted the transfer and pretty soon I received all of those to join a signal.

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Company up in North Carolina at that time they were on the move was because a lot on the move was being conducted that time because the military was beginning to get real busy you know. And so. About. Some time in that. Fall. We will know man who was near Hamlet North Carolina.

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And I came back to Atlanta. On the weekend the 1st weekend in December and while I was here. Pearl Harbor occurred do you remember where you were remember exactly where I was I was going I was active in the young people to the point one of the think Mark Methodist Church here.

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And there was an afternoon meeting a gathering there and that's when we heard about. The. Pearl Harbor affair and my wife Edith was there and she we were not married at the time she were just friends then she says that's the only time she really it was so me and uniform because I had put on the uniform immediately everybody had to get their uniforms on and I had to get back to you wherever you were stationed as soon as possible so I left Atlanta and I did have a car there and then I drove back to North Carolina and Joe on my signal company like.

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And then later on in December we moved from the water with New York and in early January. And we realized that many of our company were going to be sent out to various places. And so in January 22nd night teen 42. I joined a group of people a task force they called it and I had a 2nd Lieut with 28.

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Enlisted technicians. Radio and telephone technicians and we got on this troop ship and then went across the Pacific zigzag across so if it were 39 days and landed in Australia. And we went off straight here for about a week and then it was decided that we should. Be reloaded on the ships and go to New Caledonia and we went to New Caledonia and stayed for quite a while mine detachment opened up a single repair shop there and we were telephones radio version all kinds of communications equipment for most of the foot on it but also for Mavin Marines and other people who had the need and needs of repair service.

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Then in that fall in August. August 7th of that year was when the Marines landed on Guadalcanal and soon after the Marines landed then I would group. Transformed into a division and we moved up as the American division and Infantry Division the only entity division in the army that had NEVER GET been given a name instead of a number and it was named.

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The American from the words Americans in Caledonia and one of the fellows in my company named it and the general General that Xander patch was the commanding general and he thought that was a great name so he adopted it and that's what we were known as throughout the war we went to Guadalcanal and I'll speak we were there for we follow the Marines in there and stayed there for about 5 months and from there we went to Fiji to recuperate and get over malaria and.

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Get replacements and then from Fiji we. Reloaded on the ships and went up to Bogun Ville. And we were they asked several months and have to but we're going to well we reloaded and we went to the Philippines and this time the war was you know progressing and we were getting nearer and nearer to Japan.

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And we were I was in my group was in Lady and the time came for those of us who had enough point you cumulated points by being overseas and the number of points that you determine when you might be rotated back to the United States and at that time I had enough points after having been out there for 30 not months I got enough points to be rotated and so I came back home San Francisco and one of the experiences I had there was.

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I was so glad to be home I saw the Golden Gate Bridge and all that you know it was a great experience and then we. Went to some meetings and so forth and 1st thing I know I was assigned as the command of a troop train coming back from San Francisco to Fort McPherson Georgia.

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And. That turned out to be quite an experience of having a several 100 return he is coming back from the Pacific having been over there for all those years you know in the jungles and they were ready to let off steam at every stop you know had to stop occasionally for their ages to take on water in those days you know didn't have diesel so this was.

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Steam locomotives pulling the train we left. San Francisco the day that Franklin Roosevelt died I remember that they're very little and course that. Everybody was. Concerned about that although we were more concerned about being home I'll have to admit that it was greater than thrilled to be home than to even hear that kind of bad news.

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So we came home and after a little leave at home I was assigned to the Signal Corps boarded Fort Monmouth New Jersey for the rest of the war. And I was there in that assignment on V.J. Day which is roughly 50 years ago now you know and I remember going to Times Square the day of V.J. Day and mingle with all the thousands of people up there and my picture was not to continue kissing and notice the likes some of them were.

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But it was a great experience and I finally. Got out of the service and at that I realized that I would like to come back and finish my education at Tech and so eventually I did and. Enroll and I made much better grades a 2nd time around than I did the 1st time when I went What year did you actually come back.

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My team 146 I believe it is so it didn't take you very long to finish up then I went straight through a course at that there were so many of us that why and you know our timing was off that was it was there was no normal class.

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Or not many that were in our normal class routine because of so many veterans that had gone and come and it was that's the reason our places now during those years are kind of mixed up as you probably know. Where did you have when you came back did you live on campus I lived.

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I think I lived in bio and on the tour right at the corner of not there and you're in tech wood so you did come from. And then. I also lived back over with my uncle and grandmother for some time after got exactly how much time out here what was it like to come back to Cook Well it was he was right interesting to be coming back at that time I was among the forest of veterans I suppose that came back I remember Colonel Blake bandolier was present at that time and I believe he was had some military experience and when I came back and registered.

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I remember. Dean Skiles I think it was being scarred were still the dean then. I remember he took me into to meet the president mainly because I was a major in the reserves and I'd been a went to the Pacific and all that you know and yeah I guess I was a little bit of a celebrity or a little bit of us leverage at that time but I remember people taking notice of the fact that yes I was among the group of veterans that were beginning to trickle back to school.

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You didn't come back into uniform. Not at school no no at that time I was out of uniform so nobody knew you were in the military yet everybody did know everybody had been is that it well most people. Because I was older too than a lot of the people that time you said you got better grain it was easier to study or you were just on that much smarter.

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I don't know I think. One of the things that bothered me when I came back I had finished calculus before I went into service and I had not taken differential equations. And. I just said Truly I'm going to have trouble Well I it was hard I remember it was hard but you know I was able to do it and I think I I was moment too I guess and I had.

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More. Desire. To go ahead and and do what needed to be done to graduate which I did was there any difference in the attitude of the professors towards the older students then when you were younger students. Really don't think so I think it was all in the classroom together and they were still tough finding their own way I was just never been easier Georgia Tech and I don't I don't suppose it is now so there wasn't anybody saying this poor veteran let's just give him a break I don't think so I don't remember so many breaks but I do remember making better grades and.

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I was happy to be near the end of the time to receive that diploma so were any of the professors that had taught you as a younger girl cookware any of them still there. Yes I think Professor Glen Rainey were still there I believe he was there when I was 1st there he was in the English department.

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I think. Maybe some of the electrical engineering people. I think been Day show was one I think he was a student assistant when I was there and then when I came back I believe he was maybe head of the Department. And. Let's see you know. Offhand prefers Ajax was there.

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And at the moment I don't recall and there was so did you come across any fellow classmates that had been there that 1st time around. I don't remember that kind of head start all over Yeah it was almost a different it was a different group because. Many of course were still in service that I.

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Was in school with in the beginning and some but maybe I don't know some of them did not get to go and did not have to go in the military way able to finish. And. So I don't remember many. Or any at this moment. That were in the military with me.

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But it was a good experience to come back and be a part of the school as it the post-war school one thing I remember that happened I don't know if you remember the wind cough hotel far does that mean anything to you I remember it happened I remember standing on the campus and seeing the smoke coming out of the building down.

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It was visible from Georgia Yes yes. Were you in any power. They said some Georgia Tech students went over and were part of the rescue efforts had you participate No I I was not. Didn't go down there I think it was between classes that I as I recall but it was a terrible time that.

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Happened there and if you've seen pictures of it I. Had accounts of it you know how bad it was. When you went to school the 1st time back in 1937 to go school all day every day including I have a day Saturday which I think is a false sketch of absolutely what happened when you came back comparison to that was that again all day school.

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It was all day and I'm sad it is the only thing I'm not sure about I think we were at school on Saturday when I came and what I'm pretty sure we did some things had really changed that not a whole lot you know the whistle blew it 5 minutes of our still.

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I guess it still does I hear it occasionally from here so some things were the same it was the comfort in the what was familiar yes had the campus physically changed and are not but during that period of time because I think during that time there was. Very little money for that kind of business with the the war going on and ending.

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But it's made up for it in the last. Many years of course. When you were there the 1st time did you ever go to the Y.M.C.A. where you and follow Yes I was very active in the in the Y.M.C.A. I was. The 1st time I was there I remember I ran for the.

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Student president of the Y.M.C.A. a C. There were 3 of us running I think it was James Boyle's was his name. Walter Lumsden remember you were some north Georgia. And. See Jim Harris Jim was knocked to cool student and he was a big man on campus. And he was on the slate and.

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He swamped all of us on that you know that election good fellow I wish I knew what had happened to him I have lost touch with him. What what did ya do over at the Y.. Well mostly. I was that the social center for you or yes we.

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We had. Meetings I remember I was since I was a Methodist We had meetings a Methodist group so there was a Methodist group there. Then later I guess at the same time to my been Baptist groups and Pisk vary in groups and we would have meetings then we'd have social rules and I remember we would.

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Have. Social occasions like. Maybe going out to Agnes Scott. For a party or get together or something like that. And we would have speakers there would be speakers that came there to. Speak on various subjects. Course before the war it was not this military. Playing that we got into later after the war I'm a little weak on what we did in those early days now but it was like a student yes or yes I functioned as a student Yes Did any students live there I guess I'm in fact one some I remember living on the top floor but.

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I forgot why I live there maybe I don't know I think I was working. Doing something over there anyway I instead of living here with my family my relatives lived on the top floor they are. Building was not air conditioned We lived on had bunk beds. And it was.

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I don't know if it was as hot as this past July your wife must have suffered a lot I've. Had to climb on both pairs to be up there yeah. Course in those days it didn't matter so the whole top floor with storm 20 spaces that yes something along that line that's right and did you pay to stay there.

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But I'm sure I did I should have paid you. It was. There I don't know that there were more than about maybe it 20 or 30 of us that live there but I do remember that some of that we were there. Did you go to school during the summers or did you go back home.

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I did that one song I. See during the 1st someone I went back home and I worked for the saw of Conservation Service and we were. One of our jobs was. Pruning pine trees that were planted and we were pruning those trees to shape them up and then we also do a job known as cruising timber that's going out in the forest and and making a really it's a map of the tree years and in forest.

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And I did that and then also I remember during the summer working down in the Grange at the Cow agent's office and we. Measured from aerial maps we measured cut and acreage that's when cut was beginning to have been. Controlled acreage of people able to plant did you find these jobs on your own.

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Well I don't know I guess must follow on but as the Georgia Tech can find no Georgia Tech and they usually warning the collapse program I don't know is this just a summer thank you no Peter Arnell to money yes. I remember. You asking about the difference between the time that I was a tech the 1st time and then after the war.

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I guess some of the things that I remember the 1st time about where. I lived and so forth. They were as I said I live most of my family after the war I lived some at the Y.M.C.A. which had some box beds on the top floor one of a gun exactly why I was living up there but I knew I had a job doing I was working downtown with an engineering concern and I was going to school I think same time.

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And I remember climbing those steps to the Y.M.C.A. building. And it was not air conditioned it was certainly a war. And then. After the war the classrooms where they were conditioned either. In fact. I guess it was then much later than when I was there that air conditioning became popular.

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In fact I remember when I was jumping ahead when I went to work for the Southern belle and was sent to a T.N.T. in New York a few years A.T.T. headquarters in New York was not even air conditioned and you know that is back in the dark ages.

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But you asked about my social life I guess when I was there the 1st time I told you I was active in the young people's apartments like Mark Methodist Church. But one thing that kept me I guess from being too involved in. And social activities around Atlanta was I frequent went back to true can it would we can so I was.

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At times when. Maybe some of the normal things were I might have gotten involved in it a lot I did not join for turn to so that was another reason I guess that I didn't have some of the same. Experiences that many of us had in a more normal setting.

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We. See I was. I remember being a part of the Y.M.C.A. activities. Running for the president of the council I remember that and you ask about activities that I might engage in from athletics that. I did not participate in any sports of than the normal things that you would get involved in like.

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I think we had to have some physically ed classes things like that and of course being an oral T.C. We did a good deal of activity and drills and so forth. There was the swimming pool who remember swimming in the pool there. At the north end of the feel now and I don't know that the pool is even there now in that building it's probably gone but there was an indoor pool and I remember swimming there was a deal Heisman Jim Yes that was the pool yes it was back south of that over the field.

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And speaking of Grant feel I. Was went to as many of the football games as I could in town because at that time when you registered you were given tickets student tickets to the games and I remember going to the basketball games that Coach Monday of was a coach as you recall and.

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Then. Leslie what were the games played the bass a baseball games in that gym they were in the gym yes. I remember going to a number of games. That was long before the present dome. And. Then did you ever go to any dances thank you campus or. I don't remember in advance on campus.

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We. As I said I remember occasionally going to Agnes got on Y.M.C.A. related things I had what type of is ations out there and I remember going to some affairs out there and then and I would church St Mark we had. Occasion to go on retreats and things like that my wife my present wife my only wife.

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So we went to St Mark's together in the young people's apartments and although we didn't get married till afterwards but. There was a number of occasions when we went to. Functions that were related to the church. Something a little something I don't think I mentioned after I came back.

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I got involved with a group of folks who were interested in doing something about the county unit system in Georgia you may not even know about the county unit system but back back in these days. Elections in Georgia were determined back town a unit vote. And Atlanta had 6 count a unit vote and 10 as down in Georgia South Georgia no places had to.

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And this resulted in. An imbalance in the voting power in that lot off Fulton County residents compared with once they down in south Georgia Eccles County. And so I got involved with this group they were interested in doing something about it and they ended up by making me the plaintiffs.

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In one of the suits and we. Carried this suit all the way to the Supreme Court. And we lost but. It stirred up some interest in the county unit system. The states had similar problems at that time and in later years of the suits were brought and they won and they ended up in.

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Success in overturning the county unit system. I remember back before I went in the water Goodman Ellis on long was governor one of the youngest governors I guess we have had in Georgia. And I remember getting letters a letter from him. About. The county unit system and then later on he was instrumental as people now know in.

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Getting the freight rates equalize between the north and the south for many years the South had. Freight rates that were higher than they were in the north and it was a problem for manufacturing concerns and in the south and shipping goods around. When it came up from the south Mr Cook.

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Small town life farm boy what was that Lana like to you the city itself was that has sped up all to you did you feel comfortable though yes I did I you know I was not completely new to Atlanta because having had family. I would come up. Many times and I was accustomed to.

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Being in town Davison's there was the big store and the riches of course Davis and riches were there be a big store was a people shop and did shopping during those years. The tent Street area that. Was very important to people who lived in what we now call the mid.

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Section there were. Chris's and Woolworths down there. They were all butcher shops a bakery is and the 10th Street Theater was a place where people went to see the movies course the fox was there too and we all. Minute Times went to the fox. And the Varsity was there which was a good old standby that when we didn't need it the.

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I believe it was cold and maybe still cold e-mail Britain dining hall. Everybody didn't like to eat their 3 meals a day and probably still don't. But the vast it was I remember Frank Gaudi was at the directing traffic for before the before the war and after the War 2 How much had things changed when you came back.

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You know I don't think back and point out a lot of changes in those years in Atlanta you know the big buildings and not been built at that time that I think. The expressway was you know hasn't been and the gun Peachtree Street was still Peachtree Street so you came back to familiar land or yeah I don't recall or integrate changes in in the area that.

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Took place while I was away was the varsity Still those are sort of US today were still the vast and of course. As time went on he started enlarging and and becoming more and more popular with the students as well as the residents of Atlanta. And I always.

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Enjoyed chatting was Frank go to because I thought he was such a pleasant fellow I don't know if any of you know I had a chance to know him a nod but he was certainly a self-made man and he looked after his business he he would be behind the can if necessary or you would be at helping people find a place to park and because it didn't always have that deck in the back either you know.

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So it was a smaller lot no small or small operation yes much Mark. But the chili is just as good as it was then. But you mention asking you ask me about some of the people that on campus. Heinie was. It mechanical shop I remember taking shop from him.

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To metallurgy shop and I'm sorry to say have a gun the professor in charge of that at the time. George Griffin was on campus and nobody could be around tech without running into Jewish Griffen I don't have an ISP the civic story to mention about my associations with Joe it but you couldn't get around Tech campus without really seeing his tracks some way on the campus.

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And. Let's see. The robbery or the robbery I guess you've heard that name before it was the student bookstore and the place to get sandwiches and an unlimited amount of food in a kind of a cafeteria setting there in the basement of a present administration building and that was the place where you had your mailbox is and.

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You got your books there and as a so you get sandwiches there and you would meet there between classes to either have a Coke. You know have a break there. And I remember one time. I there and I remember having coconut. And during the night I got so sick and went over to the infirmary.

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And along with about 10 of those you must have had coke and we were all there in there and ferment for about 24 I was. Never shelf. Without thinking about that experience at Tech. And then through me it was. I don't even know what's in the building now the.

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But it's it was there in the building with columns on it across from where the the mechanical shop were at that time. But also the library was there you know on right adjacent to the the ministration building the Carnegie Library it was called I believe was a carny.

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Endowment there if you ever go there yes sure yeah but it was certainly a. Far cry from the present library which I remember had been in several years ago. When. It was a place where you know a lot of people went to do so to study and look at things for papers so for do you remember your graduation.

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Do I remember graduating with joy at the Fox Theater that I graduated from Tech High School in the Fox Theater and then 10 years later I graduated from Georgia Tech at the Fox What was it like. In the auditorium part in the regular theater part yes lots of people were on the stage you know in their tears of seats up on the stage and we would file down and get out a promise.

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And was it a good feeling it was a good feeling and it turned out that I got my degree from Georgia Tech. I got married about 3 weeks later. And about 2 or 3 weeks later I started work for Southern belle all in about 6 weeks time so life really paid off for either.

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There was a busy time for me I don't think I mentioned I start with Southern belle I worked for Southern belle until 1980 and had a lot of good experiences with Southern belle and lived in a number of places in Georgia and in. New York New Jersey. Did your tech to Greece serve you well Mr control Yes Absolutely yeah.

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I think. I could've. Had a better preparation for telephone company work and take degree then and I think I feel sure it does now it's it opens doors for you that. He just couldn't get through than any other way it's. I do it all over again even if it took you 10 years well I'd rather not have gone to spend 39 months in the jungles of the Pacific but.

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Even that was a good experience so I've made I made friends there that I've kept in touch with and I go to my military reunions and recall big spirits is that we had. In Australia and Fiji and. In the last 3 years ago. We went back to Kuala can I all to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our landing there and we dedicated a beautiful Memorial Day Out to the people who were they are 50 years ago so all the military you get as you get older I guess you think more about those day years of what you went through in the military and some in some ways it's made a great impression on me I suppose.

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And some of our days at Georgia Tech because. Those are some trying times there and. We lived under some pretty rough conditions they are on the island but. Looking back on it I again I'm glad I was able to do what I did and I really should be thankful that I came back because many of the people that I was associated we'll with did not come back.

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And. So it's it's been a good experience and I have a lot of gratitude to Georgia Tech for helping to write stories which is on. Your back has. Some pictures. We're. Just. Into that's looks you straight.