Baroque Has Passed Away.

imiakhtar · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:00 pm

Hello folks.

Unfortunately, I have to be the bearer of bad news. A few hours ago, I learnt that Alan Cook, username - Baroque, passed away a couple of weeks ago. I thought it only right to create this thread as I know many of you enjoyed reading his posts as much as I did.

A number of weeks ago, I sent him some emails as I often did and failed to receive a timely reply. I was aware that he had a registered oil/coal/gas consultancy business. However, whilst googling his name for an alternate email, I happened upon his obituary:

COOK, Alan Cecil.
Loving husband of Dian
and father.
Late of Wollongong, formerly of Sydney and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Formerly of CSIRO and University of Wollongong,
Geology Department.
Passed away peacefully
November 17, 2011

http://www.onlinetributes.com.au/AlanCook/

Over time, I came to enjoy his a.net posts as he had similar interests (science and cricket! ) and opinions. His posts were very intelligent and admittedly, I would often have to re-read his posts to get the full jist of what he was saying in addition to the witty undertones. Granted, he was a staunch atheist and we had our disagreements, but he was always civil and reasonable in debate. My only regret is never having had the opportunity to buy him a drink on his regular visits to the UK.

Alan was a former Prof. of Geology and ran a successful consultancy business serving the energy industry. From the little I've garnered online, it seems he was a very smart, loving and well respected man amongst his family, friends and colleagues.

I thought it would be fitting to put a face to the name:

http://flic.kr/p/9q8Ebn

http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups...i/@eesc/documents/mm/uow080365.jpg

[Edited 2011-11-30 13:05:47]

canoecarrier · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:05 pm

How very sad. I've emailed back and forth with Alan for many months. You are spot on about Alan being a very talented and knowledgeable man. In our last correspondence he and I were discussing a book he wanted to buy his son for Christmas. His posts will be missed and the world is sadly a darker place without his wit.

[Edited 2011-11-30 13:11:11]

BMIFlyer · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:12 pm

Rest in Peace funny guy. You will be missed by many here i'm sure.

Lee

KPDX · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:13 pm

Sad news indeed.. I didn't always agree with him, but he was certainly a great contributor to this website.

Mortyman · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:17 pm

So sad to hear

He seemed to be a good man and I always enjoyed reading his comments. R.I.P.

Derico · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:19 pm

That's straight in the stomach. Really saddened, great contributor.

The best to his family and those who knew him best.

[Edited 2011-11-30 13:20:27]

DeltaMD90 · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:20 pm

RIP

I messaged him a little bit a few weeks ago... funny, he looks almost like I envisioned him in my mind. Usually I'm far off. He will be missed...

aloges · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:22 pm

That is very sad news indeed.

My condolences to his family and friends, should they be reading this.

GBLKD · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:24 pm

I've not been on here long but he was one of the members I grew to respect. I also enjoyed his posts and made a point of re-reading what he had written on a few occasions.

Rest in peace Alan, you will be missed

scbriml · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:26 pm

This is very sad news. While I had only had personal communication with Alan on a few occasions, I always enjoyed reading his contributions in the forums. He will be missed.

vikkyvik · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:32 pm

Wow, certainly a sad day for A.net. Felt like he'd been on this forum forever.

I never communicated with him outside the forums, but the word "baroque" is pretty much permanently linked to A.net in my mind.

Condolences to his loved ones.

MD11Engineer · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:34 pm

One of the few really knowledgeable people here on A.net.
And also very human.
He certainly will be missed.
My condolences to his family.

Jan

Tugger · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:39 pm

This is truly sad news, and surprising as the world of online posting you don't really know how a person is, if they are old or healthy or what have you. You just see what they post and Baroque's posts were always well thought out and "not old". He was just a great member of this site. A.net has lost a true asset to these boards.

I will miss his posts and insights.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Tugg

astuteman · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:40 pm

Quoting imiakhtar (Thread starter):
My only regret is never having had the opportunity to buy him a drink on his regular visits to the UK.

I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to do this, and to have the compliment returned in his local watering hole in Wally.

Alan posessed the sharpest (and zaniest) wit I've been privileged to come across, and I'm sure that A-net has lost one of its foremost members, and resources.

Professor of Geology at Wollongong. Not bad for the son of a Geordie coal miner

You'll be very sadly missed, Alan.

I'm sure we all pass our condolences on to the lovely Dian.

Rgds

MadameConcorde · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:42 pm

Quoting imiakhtar (Thread starter):
Unfortunately, I have to be the bearer of bad news. A few hours ago, I learnt that Alan Cook, username - Baroque, passed away a couple of weeks ago

This is such sad news.
It will lbe strange not to see his posts anymore.

RIP

NoUFO · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:43 pm

That's indeed very sad.
He was intelligent, witty, reasonable, and will certainly be missed.

casinterest · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:43 pm

My condolences to his family.

All time on this planet ends much too soon. At least his was length,
I will miss his contributions to the forum.

dxing · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:44 pm

This is a shame. While we had many disagreements online on a variety of subjects I enjoyed the mental game of chess he would present with his arguments. He will be missed. RIP to the Utopian.

[Edited 2011-11-30 13:45:32]

yowza · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:47 pm

Though I never met him, I did exchange a number of messages with Baroque through a.net's private message system starting in 2008. Truly a sad loss for a.net and for for those that new him. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

YOWza

ronglimeng · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:52 pm

A significant loss to a.net.

I always made it a point to read all his posts, regardless of the subject.

Imiakhtar, let me just say that you did a very nice job in your opening post in how you brought this to our attention.

ZakHH · Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:55 pm

This is sad news, indeed. I always enjoyed his posts. Did not always agree with them, but they always provided interesting points of view.

Requiescat in pace, Dr. Cook!

GrahamHill · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:07 pm

This is a terrible news. He was really a nice person to talk to here. I'll miss him a lot

My condolences to his family.

Ant72LBA · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:18 pm

Extremely sad news, he was the only A.netter that I ever messaged direct (after an entertaining thread about alternative WW2 scenarios).

As mentioned already he will be greatly missed.

Not sure this will be read but my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

JakeOrion · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:19 pm

Wow. Just wow. I'm stunned honestly.

We disagreed on many political subjects, but he always kept it civil and never retorted to name calling. I could truly call him a friend.

R.I.P. friend, we shall miss you.

canoecarrier · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:30 pm

Quoting astuteman (Reply 13):
I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to do this, and to have the compliment returned in his local watering hole in Wally.

I think to Alan's credit, if you messaged him he always sent you a message back. With today's anonymity on the internet he wasn't afraid to contact anyone who asked him a question. Had I ever found myself anywhere near him I would have done just what you did and had a beer with him.

He and I didn't always agree on a topic, but I think there are a lot of people on this forum that will miss him. I wish that his family could know that he was greatly respected outside of his friends and professional acquaintances.

Does anyone know what happened to him? His last post was on November 15th, 2 days before he died.

Klaus · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:35 pm

Wow, what a loss. A real punch to the stomach indeed.

I've had many conversations with him (public and private ones) and I will miss him a lot.

He had a great mind and a great sense of humour. A true heavyweight in the best sense of the term.

Well done, Alan. You'll be remembered.
Thank you for everything and all the best to your family!

Lumberton · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:39 pm

Imiakhtar, sad as this news is, thank you for posting it.

I haven't posted on a.net in quite awhile but this news compels me to at least leave a tribute to Dr. Cook...Alan. He and I corresponded over the years and, as others have noted, he was unfailingly courteous and incredibly knowledgeable. I will miss his wit and candor. As was noted, Alan professed to be an atheist, but that won't prevent me from remembering him in my prayers or offering up my Mass intentions for his soul.

Rest in peace, sir.

racko · Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:39 pm

What a great loss for this forum and, I'm sure, for his family and friends. I always enjoyed his contributions here.

Rest In Peace.

Flighty · Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:06 pm

Horrible news, so sad to hear about this. Everything with his name on it was usually the best post, and civilized. People like him make this sort of hobby worthwhile. He was so generous with us. Peace to his family.

ozglobal · Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:19 pm

This is hard to believe. He was just IM'ing me a few weeks ago to share one of our vigorous agreements. What a fine fellow. We are the richer to have known him...

flood · Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:35 pm

Very sad news and a tremendous loss to the a.net community... he will be missed dearly.

Condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

SOBHI51 · Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:40 pm

Really sad news. RIP

connies4ever · Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:18 am

Indeed sad news. Alan, RIP, and condolences to all family and friends.

I took an almost instant liking to Baroque's posts the minute I joined A.net, we seemed to very frequently be on the same side particularly when it came to politics (a little revolution now and then is a good thing!). He is on my RR list (and shall remain) and I on his -- I consider this a high honour.

There were many, many IMs, and one of the goals I have had was to visit Oz (I have a set of distant cousins there) and (possibly) buy him a drink. Sadly, too late now.

As has been alluded to earlier, a duller, darker world now.

seb146 · Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:18 am

damn.

End of post...

hoons90 · Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:01 am

Incredibly sad to hear this news, may he rest in peace.

jetmech · Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:17 am

What sad news

. I always enjoyed reading Baroque's thoughtful, knowledgeable posts which were delivered with a wonderful touch of humour. Nothing was more entertaining than reading his musings about the modern world and the folly of man, thoughts that were delivered with wonderful insight and a refreshing lack of bitterness or cynicism.

I never met the man in person, but I can imagine that he was a character who embodied all the wonderful aspects evident in his invaluable contribution to these forums. Rest in peace Alan.

Farewell, JetMech

Arrow · Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:03 am

What a shock. I'm terribly saddened by this. I've enjoyed Alan's wit and broad knowledge in the many, many posts he's made on all manner of topics. I always learned something when I read a Baroque post. We exchanged a number of personal emails as well, and I just loved his sense of humour. Condolences to his family and close friends -- there's a huge family on Anet that will miss him too.

BAViscount · Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:14 am

How very sad - the world, and this site, loses a charming, intelligent, knowledgeable, respectable, erudite man. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

TheRedBaron · Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:55 am

A loss for A net, we had very nice arguments and I always looked forward for his opinion...

My condolences to his relatives.

Rest in Peace.

Acheron · Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:32 am

Sorry to hear about his passing. I always looked forward to read what he had to say about the Middle East and many other issues and how he managed to keep his cool even in the most heated thread.

Such a shame. Indeed seemed like quite a decent guy and nice to be around.

MillwallSean · Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:38 am

Thats a loss.
He was an interesting poster with a sharp mind. Will be missed.

May he enjoy whatever that comes after this.

Superfly · Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:43 am

I am really shocked to read this. This really saddens me. Me & Baroque had many heated exchanges on some subjects and yet me agreed on a lot and shared some of the same interests outside of aviation. He was very knowledgeable of any given subject and was a huge asset to the forums here at Airliners.net. He will be missed.

BMIFlyer · Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:45 am

According to his a.net profile he posted his last message only 2 days before passing.

wn700driver · Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:52 am

What a terrible day for A.net.

Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said up-thread, but I am nonetheless saddened by this event. Not only an intelligent & humorous contributor to this site, but one who was very very good about getting back to people on the PMs. His insight, knowledge and intelligence will be missed profoundly.

Thanks for making our world a better place Mr Cook!

L-188 · Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:05 am

Sad that all good things must come to an end.

His presence here will be missed.

His family can take my condolences for granted

stasisLAX · Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:17 am

When I read that "Baroque" had left this plane of existence, I was instantly saddenned.

His sharp wit, his willingness to share his knowledge, and his many many insightful and entertaining posts to A.net will be deeply missed. My sincere condolences to Alan's family, and his friends.

Devilfish · Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:24 am

Just quoted one of his posts two days ago...this explains why there was no reply.

My most respected member here.....a towering wit and a true gentleman.

Fair winds and following seas, Mate!

allrite · Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:45 am

I will add my message of sadness and condolences to his family. Like many others here, I always enjoyed his posts and the electronic conversations we shared outside of a.net. I will miss his talk, not only of aviation, but so many things beside: cricket, history and most of all science. As someone both of CSIRO and the University of Wollongong I can sadly say that there aren't enough people like Alan these days. RIP Baroque.

Longhornmaniac · Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:00 am

Tragic loss.

Baroque was a wonderful, genuine person who added so much to these forums.

He will be missed a great deal.

RIP

and my condolences to his friends and family.

Cheers,
Cameron

aerobalance · Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:43 am

I immensely enjoyed his posts.

RIP

Who is online

Popular Searches On Airliners.net