Dennis Geoffrey Cocke (June 2, 1924 – July 2, 2008) sat as a Member of the

British Columbia Legislature The Parliament of British Columbia is made of two elements: the King in Right of British Columbia, represented by the Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbia Parliament Building ...

as a

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

member from 1969 to 1986 for the seat of New Westminster. He grew up on a farm in

Athabasca, Alberta Athabasca ( 2021 population 2,759), originally named Athabasca Landing, is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 55, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the cen ...

and served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Cocke served as Minister of Health under Dave Barrett from 1972 to 1975. In that capacity he created the BC Ambulance Service, replacing a patchwork of private and municipal enterprise with a province-wide system, professional standards and certification, and with newly designed and purpose-built ambulance vehicles. He also led the building of Queen's Park Hospital, and the reconstruction of Royal Columbian Hospital. He died at the age of 84 at the Royal Columbian Hospital after suffering a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

References

1924 births 2008 deaths British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs Health ministers of British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Athabasca, Alberta People from New Westminster Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century Canadian legislators {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub