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This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy...
This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy carries out the responsibilities for which it was established in 1964.
Under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering was formed as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. Members are elected on the basis of significant contributions to engineering theory and practice and to the literature of engineering or on the basis of demonstrated unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology. The National Academies share a responsibility to advise the federal government on matters of science and technology. The expertise and credibility that the National Academy of Engineering brings to that task stem directly from the abilities, interests, and achievements of our members and international members, our colleagues and friends, whose special gifts we remember in this book.
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BY LUKE WISSMANN AND CHRISTOPHER L. MAGEE1
HARRY EDGAR COOK was a visionary in manufacturing and materials science whose contributions bridged the worlds of academic research, industrial innovation, and engineering education. A member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1990, Harry’s career spanned leadership roles in the automotive industry and academia, always marked by his intellectual curiosity, generosity of spirit, and relentless drive to improve systems through science, engineering, and his own creative combination — the science of engineering.
He was known across industry and academia for his outstanding ability to distill complex problems into the simplest, accurate mathematical models of important phenomena. He was admired for his focus on critical problems and his perseverance in solving them.
Born in Americus, Georgia, on Feb. 14, 1939, Harry’s early years were shaped by resilience and imagination. Following the loss of his father at age four, he was raised by his mother and stepfather in Georgia and later in Ohio, where he developed a love for science and a natural charisma that carried him through a distinguished career.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in metallurgy from Case Western Reserve University and completed his doctorate at Northwestern University in 1966. That same year, he married his lifelong partner, Valleria (Valle) Janes, whose love and companionship remained central throughout his life. They built a family and a life that reflected Harry’s passions for exploration, education, music, and the outdoors.
After a postdoctoral fellowship in Paris supported by the National Science Foundation, he joined Ford Motor Company’s Research Laboratories, where his work advanced materials science and catalyzed innovations in automotive manufacturing. At Chrysler, where he served as director of automotive research and technical systems and later as general manager of scientific affairs, he continued to drive technical progress while mentoring the next generation of engineers.
He later returned to academia with enthusiasm. In 1990, Harry joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as the Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Colleagues admired not only his keen analytical mind, wit, and generosity, but also his ability to connect ideas across disciplines, institutions, and industries. Students recall a professor who challenged, supported, and inspired them to think beyond the immediate problem.
A true systems thinker, Harry believed engineering was not just about products but about value — how decisions affect outcomes, how complexity can be harnessed rather than feared, and how education can empower others to think critically and act ethically. His approaches to measuring product value — in dollars — and applying the results to product management drew from behavioral economics (prospect theory), applied mathematics (game theory), and statistical design of experiments.
His body of work at UIUC—including Product Management,2 Design for Six Sigma as Strategic Experimentation,3 and Value Driven Product Planning and Systems Engineering4—represents a significant, unified contribution to the fields of product development, engineering management, and organizational strategy. These books provide a comprehensive, quantitative, and integrative approach that enables organizations to make data-driven decisions, optimize product value, and maintain a competitive edge through structured experimentation and value-centric planning.
Harry also served as head of the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at UIUC from 1998 to 2003 and directed the university’s Manufacturing Research Center. He followed Thomas Conry as department head during a time when the foundation was being laid for a 10- to 15-year transition into a mature doctoral-granting unit. He set the initial conditions for this evolution through his managerial skills, technical acumen, and warm personality. As a result, the department today has a strong undergraduate and doctoral program.
After retiring from UIUC in 2003, Harry and Valle built their dream home in Breckenridge, Colorado, where he pursued his love of cross-country and telemark skiing, music, and the natural world. Even in retirement, he continued to teach, offering courses at Georgia Tech and writing new works on value-based engineering.
He faced multiple system atrophy in his final years with the same courage, grace, and intellectual engagement that marked his life. He passed away on Sept. 12, 2019, surrounded by family. He was survived by his wife, Valle, who passed away in 2024; their children, Maegan and Adam; and grandchildren, Charlotte and Harrison, who knew him as a devoted and playful grandfather.
Harry’s life was a testament to the transformative power of engineering when guided by purpose, values, and love. His legacy continues in the systems he improved, the students he mentored, and the joy he brought to all who knew him.
________________________________ 1With support from colleagues, friends, and family. 2Cook HE. 1997. Product Management: Value, Quality, Cost, Price, Profit and Organization. Chapman & Hall. 3Cook HE. 2005. Design for Six Sigma as Strategic Experimentation: Planning, Designing, and Building World-Class Products and Services. ASQ Quality Press. 4Cook HE, Wissmann LH. 2007. Value Driven Product Planning and Systems Engineering. Springer.