[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14917-14918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING DR. ROBERT A. COOK ON HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 7, 2004

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and honor Dr. Robert 
A. Cook, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, of Larchmont in the

[[Page 14918]]

18th Congressional District of New York. On Saturday, July 10, 
surrounded by friends and family, he will celebrate his 50th birthday.
  Dr. Cook has long been committed to the practice of veterinary care. 
His passion for his work has led him on a constant search for new 
skills, and new ways to use those skills to enhance the well-being of 
animals and wildlife.
  Dr. Cook's career is a testament to his commitment to both public 
service and personal fulfillment. He has blazed trails to improve his 
profession and expand its public mission. As the Chief Veterinarian, 
Director of Wildlife Health and then Vice President of Wildlife Health, 
of the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Bronx, New York, Dr. Cook 
has lead wildlife health care at Central Park, Queens, and Prospect 
Park Wildlife Centers, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium and the 
Wildlife Survival Center in St. Catherines Island, Georgia.
  This work has spurred Dr. Cook to pioneer veterinary care for free-
ranging wildlife, to forge invaluable expansions of the public's 
involvement and commitment to wildlife care, and to take the lessons 
learned in the great state of New York around the globe. From Bolivia 
to Bangkok, and from Tanzania to Thailand, Dr. Cook applied his unique 
skills and programs, and shared them with other parts of the world 
where they can be of help.
  Dr. Cook's work as a veterinarian for the Wildlife Conservation 
Center is impressive in its own right, but I am staggered by the 
powerful example he has set with his commitment to the public mission 
of his organization and profession. Dr. Cook's expansive view of his 
own role has allowed the success of his work to be amplified far beyond 
the bounds of what we might expect from one person. It is a shining 
example to all of us that commitment to community and others can 
provide the truest and best rewards.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to pay tribute to Dr. Robert A. 
Cook on the occasion of his 50th birthday, and I ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating him for all that he has accomplished.

                          ____________________