Dorothy B. and Charles D. Cook

Thirty years ago today, they arrived in Maui during one of their trips to the 50th state.

Charlie made an emphatic point to the region's news outlets during this 1979 press conference.

In 1972, future U.S. Senator Richard Lugar joined Charlie at a press conference held at the Albany International Airport. (The subject of the media event is unknown.)

Advance to 04:50 for a brief May 2001 tribute on "Inside Albany," a show on which he was a frequent interviewee.

Inside Albany No. 0121 - Syracuse University Libraries' Digital Collections Inside Albany No. 0121, 25 May 2001, News programs, English, Inside Albany Records, Segments: Auto insurance fraud; Budget; Budget conference committee; Budget delay; Has deregulation failed?, WMHT-TV, Schenectady, N.Y., Betacam, 2534125,

Fast forward from the early 1940s and this young lad would be celebrating his 89th birthday today.

This 1957 visit to the family farm produced some happy-couple vibes. Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

On this day in 1971, they were off to Governor Rockefeller's inauguration ball. Happy New Year!

Dorothy Behrens Cook, wife of the late Senator Charles D. Cook, died Sunday, January 30, 2022, after a long illness. She was 88.

Born in Brooklyn, New York on August 9, 1933 to Johann and Dora (Borchers) Behrens, the family briefly moved to Germany before returning to the United States and residing in Franklin Square, New York. Cook’s parents had immigrated separately to the United States from Germany in the late 1920s.

Cook graduated from Sewanhaka High School and the State University of New York at Oneonta. She met Charles, who attended neighboring Hartwick College, while the two were undergraduates. They married in 1957 and raised three children: Linda (Fillius) and John, who today both reside with their families in Northern Virginia, and Jeffrey, who lives in Huntington Beach, California.

The couple lived in Delhi, New York, for most of their lives. In her early career, Cook was a teacher in Walton, New York, and later co-founded Christian Playschool in 1968, located at what would later become the United Ministry of Delhi church. She led the preschool until her retirement in 1992. She also worked for many years at the Cannon Free Library.

She enjoyed the company of dogs throughout her life, along with tending to her gardens and houseplants. Most of all, she loved teaching and caring for children.

During their life together, Cook and her husband – who was first elected to the legislature in 1972 and served until 1999, ultimately representing one-sixth of all the counties in New York State – traveled extensively within the U.S. as well as in Asia and Europe. The two were active members of the United Ministry of Delhi, which is affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church USA and The United Methodist Church, where she served on various committees and taught Sunday School for many years.

After her husband passed away in 2001, Cook moved to Springfield, Virginia in 2004 to be closer to family. She is survived by her children and seven grandchildren; her sister, Elenore Brookins of Walton, New York; and her longtime companion, Richard Schmidt, now living in Valrico, Florida. She was predeceased by two children, Edward and David.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, plans for a memorial service have been delayed until later in the spring. Cook will be interred in Delhi, New York, next to her husband, Charles. Gifts in her memory may be made to the United Ministry of Delhi.

A sad anniversary: Today marks 20 years since Charlie Cook passed away.

Cook shared a birthday — today, February 26 — with former Gov. Malcolm Wilson, although Wilson was 21 years older. The two would split a birthday cake with colleagues and exchange greetings beginning when Wilson was still lieutenant governor, prior to Gov. Rockefeller's resignation to serve as vice president.

at the Capitol with wife, Dorothy, and son, Jeff

with wife, Dorothy, in 1986

family portrait for 1982 campaign

May your holiday be everything you dreamed of—

Happy Veterans Day!

at a hearing with friend and counsel-to-the-senator, John T. Hamilton

CDC's last living sibling, his sister Mary, has passed away.

Mary E. Kelsey, 89, of Manheim, Pennsylvania, died peacefully this past Sunday, July 23.

Born in Rock Royal, N.Y., she, CDC, sister Ethel, and brother Edward were children of the late Edward and Lillian Hicks Cook.

Mary was the loving wife of the late Ronald F. Kelsey who died in March 2001.

She is survived by six children, 12 grandchildren, and 29 great grandchildren.

"...I think that to use governmental interference as a weapon to try to enforce one's personal moral standards on other people is wrong. In my mind, I have never been able to understand how one could be a conservative and also say that government ought to be imposing itself into private decisions by citizens." -Charles D. Cook (in a 1998 interview with the Associated Press)

career pics

CDC with his wife, Dorothy

CDC, with his mother, Lillian

personal pics

Happy Birthday, CDC!