Obituary: Charles Wesley Rook Jr., 1938-2022

We have a good time the outstanding lifetime of Charles Wesley Rook Jr., who died on January 19, 2022, of coronary heart failure at his Tucson winter dwelling, together with his loving household by his facet.

Born August 30, 1938, in Denver, Colo., Charley was raised In Nebraska and selected to return east to affix the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise’s class of 1960. Throughout eight phrases on the dean’s record, he served on the East Campus Home Committee and Senior Home Committee and chaired the Judicial Dormitory Council. He acquired the distinguished Beaver Key; was awarded membership within the Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi honor societies; participated in “T” Membership, the Tech, WTBS radio, crew, observe, swimming and NROTC; and courted Jean Barclay, his future spouse. Lively within the Outing Membership, mountain climbing, spelunking, mountaineering and snowboarding, he additionally performed rugby and drank beer with the MIT, Boston and Washington, D.C., golf equipment.

Upon graduating MIT with BS, MS and physician of science levels in electrical engineering, Charley was commissioned into the U.S. Navy. Assigned to the Bureau of Ships and the Naval Digital Programs Command in Washington, D.C., he did analysis and managed tasks earlier than serving for 9 years within the U.S. Naval Reserves. After Navy responsibility, he joined the workers at MIT’s Lincoln Lab in 1966, contributing to superior analysis tasks for 35 years.

He was trustworthy, even-tempered, honest, variety and reserved, with a dry humor — a Renaissance man. Charley liked opera, London theater, biking, enjoying rugby, studying languages and quoting Shakespeare. Hooked on the day by day New York Instances crossword puzzle, he scored 2,781/97.4% of puzzles solved, together with his longest streak of 655 interrupted by travels to seven continents.

One other deep curiosity was classical music. He loved singing bass with the Harmony Refrain in Massachusetts and several other group choruses. An incredible delight was singing at Carnegie Corridor’s Centennial Celebration. He framed his backstage go. Each week, he listened to NPR’s “Joyful Noise” choral music and “Says You,” and watched “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.”

Operating was a part of his day by day routine. He completed the Boston Marathon and ran many weekend races. Lengthy-distance biking turned his ardour, which led to biking holidays in Europe, Canada and the U.S. In his later years, he rose to the challenges of New England century rides.

After residing in Chelmsford, Mass., for 34 years and restoring a 200-year-old home, he and his spouse retired to Burlington, Vt. Their dwelling overlooking Lake Champlain turned “base camp” for twenty years of journey. Upon studying that non-native Vermonters had been referred to as “flatlanders,” Charley stated he’d need to dig down 4,800 ft from the place he was born within the mile-high mountains of Colorado to be able to get to Vermont! He liked Vermont.

He’s survived by his spouse of 60 years, Jean (Barclay) Rook; his daughters, Rebecca Rook (Douglas Smith) of California and Jennifer Atkins (David Atkins) of Massachusetts; his grandchildren, Shay, Jason and Marshall Atkins; and his sisters, Barbara Clausen and Martha Rook of Oregon.