Phi Kappa Tau Mourns Loss of Brother Bill Cook

Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity mourns the loss of brother Bill Cook, a longtime member of our Alpha Rho chapter at Georgia Tech.

If you spent any time around Alpha Rho over the last fifty years, you probably knew Bill. He held nearly every role a chapter has to offer, Graduate Council president, Board of Governors member, chapter advisor, Homecoming organizer, but most of all, he was the brother on the front porch, the one who was already there.

Bill passed into Chapter Eternal on July 6, 2026, after a severe heart attack the week before.

Initiated into Alpha Rho in 1971, Bill earned his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1975 and spent more than four decades as a licensed Professional Engineer, helping design and construct power plants, cement plants, and industrial facilities around the world, including more than twenty years at Lockwood Greene, now part of CH2M Hill. Later in his career, he shifted to a job at The Home Depot and taught himself the science of sustainability and renewable energy. He retired for good in the fall of 2025.

But the stories most of us know best happened at the chapter house on 175 4th Street NW. A diehard Yellow Jacket, Bill had a habit of beating everyone to the front porch on game days, cold beer in hand and a spare one ready for whoever showed up next. For more than fifty years, he was also a fixture at Manuel's Tavern on Highland Avenue, holding down a table for brothers to join him after every home game.

Elected chapter president as an undergraduate, Bill's devotion to Alpha Rho never wavered. He gave decades to the Board of Governors, Graduate Council fundraising, and the quiet work of keeping Founders Day and Homecoming running, becoming a familiar and trusted name across Georgia Tech's administration and Phi Kappa Tau's National Headquarters.

Bill tended Alpha Rho for half a century, asking nothing in return but good company and fellowship. He was a brother, a friend, and a tireless advocate for Phi Kappa Tau at Georgia Tech.

Our thoughts are with Bill's family, friends, and brothers during this difficult time. We honor his memory by supporting one another and upholding the values of our brotherhood.

In Phi.