Art Cook
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Arthur Edwin "Art" Cook (March 19, 1928 – February 21, 2021) was an American
sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such as ...
and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the
50 metre rifle prone 50 meter rifle prone (formerly known as one of four free rifle disciplines) is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle (5.6 mm) caliber rifle. The time limit is ...
event at the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
in London.


Biography

Cook was born in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
He attended the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
, where he was the captain of the rifle team and a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. Cook began shooting in 1939 while attending a Boy Scout Camp. In 1941 he came in last place in a Boy Scout team shooting match. He stayed with the sport and kept practicing. He won his first victory in 1946 at the National Junior Smallbore Rifle Championship. He then entered the University of Maryland and led them to the National Intercollegiate Team Championships in 1947 and 1949 where they set record scores both years. The team lost a close championship contest to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1948 and took second place. He was named to the All-American Rifle Team all three years. He left school in 1949 to work for a gun supply business. In 1951, he joined the U.S. Air Force He became a lieutenant and was assigned to the Gunnery Officers School. Aside from the 1948 Olympic Team, Cook also was a member of the U.S. teams at the 1949 International Shooting Union World Championships, the
1951 Pan American Games The 1951 Pan American Games (the I Pan American Games) were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles, United States, where officia ...
, the 1952 ISU World Championships, and the 1954 ISU World Championships. He won two medals at the 1949 World Championships and one medal in 1952. In 1953 and 1957 he won the National Gallery Rifle Championship. He coached the U.S. Deaf Olympic Team in 1969 and 1993, and helped establish the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
Marksmanship Training Program. He was inducted into the
University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by the M Club Foundation to honor student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who made significant contributions to athletics at the University of Maryland. The Hall of Fa ...
in 1982. He has also been inducted into the USA Shooting Hall of fame. In 1955 he formed his own wholesale supply company, Arthur Cook Supply Corp. Cook died on February 21, 2021.


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Arthur 1928 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Washington, D.C. American male sport shooters United States Distinguished Marksman ISSF rifle shooters Olympic gold medalists for the United States in shooting Shooters at the 1948 Summer Olympics Maryland Terrapins rifle shooters Olympic medalists in shooting Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in shooting Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Shooters at the 1959 Pan American Games United States Air Force officers American military sports players Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games