Cecil Edward Clay Cook Jr. passed away October 19, 2024, in San Marcos, Texas, at age 87. A friend described him as having “a sparkling intellect to his last day.”
Born August 5, 1937, in Marietta, Georgia, Cecil was the oldest of four children born to Cecil and Tippy Cook, who met at Antioch College. He grew up in Yellow Springs and attended The Antioch School, where a teacher eventually sparked his love of reading. He became an avid reader with an extensive book collection.
Cecil attended Antioch College, where he met his first wife, Linda Kelsey Jones. They had two children, Clay and Wendy, both in Texas. He pursued graduate studies in anthropology at Harvard and the London School of Economics, earning a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and Dunforth Fellowship.
After divorcing Linda, Cecil married Shelly Barson. The couple lived with the Nambiquara Indians in remote Brazil, where Cecil experienced a spiritual awakening. This led him to embrace the Bahá’í faith, attracted to its teachings on human unity and peace. Cecil and Shelly had one daughter, Tara, now in Cape Town, South Africa.
Cecil devoted his career to international development work with USAID and the Peace Corps, introducing appropriate technology solutions in Asia, South America, and Africa. In South Africa during apartheid, he founded the Transkei Appropriate Technology Unit (TATU). After apartheid ended, the family purchased a farm near Stutterheim, South Africa.
Following Shelly’s death from cancer, Cecil continued his work and visited Yellow Springs regularly. A memorial celebration was held November 7, 2024, at the Yellow Springs Bahá’í Center.