Robert G. Cook ’54

Robert Cook died March 4, 2011, from lung cancer.  

Born in Allentown, Pa., he was an English major and a member of Terrace Club, where he served as vice president. He completed Ph.D. studies in English at Johns Hopkins and took a position at Tulane University, where he remained for 29 years.  

Much to the dismay of his friends there, he moved to Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1990. He was appointed a professor of English at the University of Iceland. Among many accomplishments, he became famous for his translations of the 13th-century Njal’s Saga, published by Penguin Books in 2001. He spent the rest of his life in Iceland where he became a beloved teacher and friend.  

The class sends condolences to his wife, Gerda; daughter Kristin; son Edward; and three grandchildren.