2019 | William W. Cook and His Michigan Law Quadrangle

Margaret retired as Director and Librarian at the U of M Law School in 2011. Since then, she has earned an M.A. (history) at EMU, written about the Detroit bankruptcy, and for the Ann Arbor Observer. Recently she coordinated the educational efforts of the local League of Women Voters concerning statewide ballot Proposals 2 & 3. Her previous education was at Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, and William Mitchell College of Law. 

Speaker's Synopsis: Cook was one of the University's earliest and most 

generous donors, providing the Martha Cook Building (1915) and the four-building Law Quadrangle (1922-1933). He practiced law in Manhattan and wrote a path-breaking multivolume work on U.S. corporation law. The talk will address the fundamental question of why he gave most of his fortune to Michigan Law by describing key elements of his personal and professional life and his interactions with University leaders.