Herbert Basil Sutton Cooke (17 October 1915 – 3 May 2018) was a South African-Canadian

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

, and Emeritus Professor at Dalhousie University. Born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, South Africa, he was educated at King Edward VII School before earning a B.A. (1936) and M.A. (1940) at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, and

M.Sc. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

(1940) and D.Sc. (1947) at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. He was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of South Africa The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive ...

in 1948 for his contributions to Quaternary geology. He is known for his studies of fossil pigs and other

even-toed ungulate The even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla , ) are ungulates—hoofed animals—which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing poster ...

s of Africa. A ''

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' in honor of his life and contributions was published in ''Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa'' in 2006. He received the

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...

(1967) and

Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

(2002) for his contributions to education. Other honors include being a Life Fellow of the

Geological Society of South Africa The Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) is a learned society for geological science that was founded in 1895, making it one of the oldest such societies in Africa. The GSSA publishes the peer-reviewed scientific journal, the ''South Afri ...

, an honorary Life Member of the Palaeontological Society of Southern Africa, past president and Life Member of both the South African Geographical Society and the

South African Archaeological Society The South African Archaeological Society was founded in 1945 to promote public awareness of archaeology and its findings in southern Africa, facilitating interaction between professional archaeologists and people with a lay interest in the subject. ...

, and past vice-president of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science. His books include ''Geology for South African Students'', co-written with G. N. G. Hamilton and published in five editions since 1939, and ''The Evolution of African Mammals'' (1978), co-edited with V. J. Maglio. He turned 100 in October 2015 and died in May 2018 at the age of 102.H. B. S. (Basil) Cooke Obituary
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Dalhousie University Department of Earth Sciences 1915 births 2018 deaths Alumni of King Edward VII School (Johannesburg) Alumni of the University of Cambridge Canadian centenarians Canadian paleontologists Academic staff of the Dalhousie University Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa Men centenarians People from Johannesburg South African centenarians South African paleontologists University of the Witwatersrand alumni South African emigrants to Canada White South African people Presidents of the South African Archaeological Society {{paleontologist-stub