The National Board Mourns Donald Cook

It is with tremendous sorrow that the National Board announces the passing of California Principal Safety Engineer and longtime National Board member, Donald Cook. He passed away on November 4.

Don was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He attended college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. He began his career in 1984 working as an engineer for Hopper Inc. During his six years there, he became familiar with pressure vessels and the ASME Code.

Don applied for and was hired as an associate safety engineer for the state of California in December 1989. In April of 1997, he was promoted to senior inspector. He became the state’s principal safety engineer and a National Board member in January 2003.

Don was an active and well-respected National Board member. He managed one of the largest National Board jurisdictions in North America. Most notably, he served on the National Board Inspection Code Committee for 15 years, and was chairman of the NBIC Main Committee from 2012 to 2018. He also served as chairman of the NBIC Executive Committee. In 2016, he was elected to the Board of Trustees as second vice chairman. Don also served on other key National Board committees.

Don was a General Session presenter two times at the National Board/ASME General Meeting. His first presentation was at the 81st General Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, on the topic of solar boilers. He spoke at the 86th General Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on the topic of the 100-year history and longevity of his jurisdiction.

In addition, Don was a member of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Conformity Assessment and ASME QAI-1. Over the years he also served on ASME Section VIII task groups. He was an active member of the California Boiler Inspectors Association. He also loved to play guitar.

Don was married to his beautiful wife, Diana for 22 years. They share one daughter, Olivia, who is a freshman at George Washington University.

“Don’s dedication to his family, his friends, and to the National Board was always evident. His knowledge, passion for safety, and commitment to doing good will be greatly missed,” says Board of Trustees Chairman Chris Cantrell.

“There are very few words to describe how sad we are to have lost Don,” adds Executive Director David Douin. “He was a valued National Board member and friend. Don will be greatly missed by his National Board family. We send our love and support to his wife and daughter.”

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4500 Buena Vista Rd., in Bakersfield, California.