Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award: Wilce Cooke
Wilce L. Cooke has been a nurse for nearly 50 years, most recently in theÌýemergency room of Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph. He also has served as mayor ofÌýthe city of Benton Harbor from 1981-1987 and 2004-2011.
Wilce earned his associate degree in political science and sociology from Lake MichiganÌýCollege in 1975 while working as a nurse at Mercy Center, which later became LakelandÌýHealth, in his hometown of Benton Harbor.
He transferred to Western Michigan University, completing his bachelor’s degree in politicalÌýscience and sociology in 1976 and has since dedicated his life to serving his hometownÌýcommunity.
As mayor, he participated in the implementation of significant developments within theÌýcity, including Harbor Shores, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and the WhirlpoolÌýCorp. administration building.
In addition to his stints as mayor, Wilce has been a Berrien County Commissioner, aÌýmember of the Berrien County Planning Commission, served on numerous committees and advisory boards, met with U.S.Ìý PresidentsÌýRonald Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter, and founded The Wilce L. Cooke Foundation in 2013.
Wilce credits his mother for teaching him about the “power of education,†and Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv, and in particular, political scienceÌýprofessor Daniel Roach, for leading him to run for public office, and working in service for the betterment of the community he holds dear.
The Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award was presented toÌýWilce Cooke in 2019.
