The Dick Cook Memorial Award honors the memory of Richard “Cookie” Cook, the founding president of the UCSB History Associates, whose generosity and tireless service helped build a lasting community around the Department of History.
Following a career in advertising, Cook retired to Carpinteria and became a familiar face in UCSB history classrooms as an unregistered student auditing courses, often accompanied by his faithful guide dog, Laser.
Awarded to an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student, the prize celebrates the spirit of service, generosity, and commitment to the department that defined Cook’s legacy.
Interested in contributing to this award? Donate here.
Current and Previous Recipients
2025, Kate Erickson (undergraduate)
2024, Anna Friedman (undergraduate)
2023, Keren Zou (undergraduate); Elizabeth Schmidt (graduate)
2021, Dane Beatie (undergraduate); Addie Jensen and Mattie Webb (graduate)
2021, Nipun Kundu (undergraduate); Lisa Johnson (graduate)
2020, Veronica Andrade (undergrad) and Yu Liu (graduate)
2019, Sarah Hanson-Kegerreis (graduate)
2018, Will Thompson (graduate)
2017, Paolo De La Cruz-Perez (undergraduate); Cheryl Wilson (undergraduate); David McIntosh (graduate)
2016, Grant Stanton (undergraduate); David Baillargeon (graduate)
2015, Sasha Coles (graduate); Brian Griffith (graduate)
2014, Eden Slone (undergraduate); Ken Hough (graduate)
2013, Ryan Abrecht (grad); Ricardo Quezada (undergrad)
2012, Abigail Dowling (grad); Lily Anne Yumi Welti (grad)
2011, Roger W. Eardley-Pryor (grad); Jean P. Smith (grad)
2010, Nicole Pacino (grad); Shauna Woods (undergrad)
2009, Rachel Winslow (Ken Hough (graduate)
2008, Chrissy Yee Lau (grad); Scott McDonald (undergrad)
2007, Heidi Marx-Wolf (grad); Christine Stokes (undergrad)
2006, Elizabeth Tandy (grad); Kristiana Kocis (undergrad)
2005, David Gregory Schuster (graduate); Deborah Ann Bahn (undergrad)
2004, Sandra Dawson (graduate); Jessica Hutchins (undergrad)
2003, Maeve A. Devoy (graduate)
2002, Michael Proulx (graduate)
2001, G. Mark Hendrickson (graduate)
2000, Joshua Ashenmiller (graduate)
1999, John Baranski (graduate)
1998, Monica Orozco (grad); Victoria Linton (undergrad)
1997, Sarah Triano (undergrad)
1996, John Renehan (undergrad)
1995, Rahda Patel (undergrad)
1994, Alicia Rodriguez (graduate)
1993, Karen Mead (graduate)
1992, Judith Ishkanian (graduate)
You can read about the creation of the “Cookie” in 1992 here.