1980 ❖ WEST BEACHER OF ORCAS ISLAND ❖ ❖ BEA COOK

Bea Cook
 
Orcas Island author of the 
new book "Till Fish Us Do Part,"
with Mayor William F. Devin. 
The book covers all types of fishing 
in an account of family life.
The author said the book tells how 
and where to fish in the Pacific Northwest.
 It isn't a comprehensive fishing guide,
but it shows how you can bring up 
two children in the wet end of a boat.
Original photo dated April 1949,
from the archives of the 
Saltwater People Historical Society©

"Bea Cook (no one ever called her Beatrice) passed away on 1 June 1980 after nearly eighty years of intense living, beloved by all who knew her, revered for her many accomplishments, regarded by many as being almost synonymous with Orcas.
        She began coming to Orcas as the young bride of Dr. William Cook or 'Paw' as she affectionately called him and spent her holiday time helping him in his pursuit of his favorite hobby – fishing. (Later she was to draw humorously on her experiences with him and her two boys, Bill Jr., and Bob, for two of her books, Till Fish Us Do Part and More Fish to Fry, and her research in that sport inspired her to write her information and humorous history, Truth is Stranger Than Fishin')
        When the West Beach colony was formed, Bea and Dr. Bill as almost everyone called him, built a summer home there. Bea often described how she took a stick and diagrammed her future house in the sand. That was Orcas in the old days.
        Bea's lovely and curious mind became a treasure trove of old-time Orcas lore 
and her vivid descriptions made her a sought-after raconteur.
        Her perception of the almost primitive living– electricity and telephones did not come to the Island until the forties–did not exclude vision, however, and she decreed that a library would be the most important contribution she could make.
        To that end she began almost single-handedly to beg, borrow, and steal property, lumber, and books, to fashion what has become a unique institution, widely heralded as a model in library circles abroad, and mostly referred to as 'Bea Cook's Library.'
        Her interest in the library never flagged. Upon Dr. Bill's retirement from his Seattle practice when they came to make Orcas a permanent home, Bea served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, then as a board member, and for the past few years as an honorary board member. She never relaxed in her concern for the library. A few days before her death, she telephoned to say that she did not feel well enough to attend a meeting but wished to pass on some council to the other members. It was phrased in her usual witty language.
        One always had different perspectives of people but the most outstanding quality was her capacity for friendship. For those she loved – and there were many – she never ceased to be a caring and responding person. And she kept that to the end.
        Her gallantry, her warmth, and long-relished wit will be our beacon. Her library is the monument."

Words by Pat Arnt.
Published by the Friday Harbor Journal. 4 June 1980.