Grif Cook was posthumously honored on Oct. 1, 2010, by the College of Arts and Sciences and received the Alumni Achievement Award for history from Western Michigan University.

Grafton “Grif” Cook II was a longtime amateur historian and attended Washington and Lee University before graduating with his associate degree from Southwestern  Michigan College (SMC).

Thirty-seven years after founding his successful lumber brokerage business in Dowagiac, Cook completed his B.A. in history at Western Michigan University in 1996 and retired.

Throughout his lifetime, Cook was an active student, collector, author and patron of local history projects, with a particular passion for the history of arms and armor.

In 1967, Cook donated his impressive collection of military artifacts from the Philippines to SMC, assisting in the establishment of the SMC museum.

Over the next several decades, Cook served as a member of the SMC museum’s advisory committee, regularly donating historic materials and assisting in the development of multiple exhibits throughout Michiana.

Prior to his death, the Cooks donated their extensive 17th, 18th and 19th century arms collection and library to Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y.

Cook’s wife Barbara shared his passion for history. Together they co-authored a number of books and articles on a variety of topics, including books on the local communities of Dowagiac, Sumnerville and Pokagon.

The Cooks also wrote a book length study of the M-1 Carbine, widely used during the Second World War and mass produced in South Haven.

More recently, Grif and Barbara were involved in supporting the ongoing WMU archaeological work at Fort St. Joseph in Niles.

Grafton Cook passed away on Aug. 7, 2009, but the legacies he and Barbara contributed to local communities, institutions, and students of history will continue to have a lasting impact on southwest Michigan.

Barbara accepted the Alumni Achievement Award on his behalf.