Another Sad Loss

Learned today about Bruce Cooke's sudden and unexpected death this past Saturday. It's been a bit of a year for things like this. I first met Bruce when I was a teenager. He came to Regina to teach at the university (I think) and he was very proud of his Queen's University pipe band experience. Over the years, Bruce proved himself to be a real student of bagpipes and pipe bands. Although he was no Gold Medallist, he was very keen to discover what makes things work, and his engineering background and piping interest often overlapped with experiments in sound, theories about reeds and tuning, and other items. The photo here was taken last summer when we did the Legion parade. Bruce sent me a very nice colour copy of the photo, showing the massed bands and Legion colour party on parade. As well as being a long-time member of the Wa Wa Shrine Pipe Band, Bruce served a couple of stints as pipe major, and was the P/M at the time of his death. As well, he played in the Regina Police Service P&D, and was a member of the 10th Field Regiment RCA Pipe Band when it was active. He was always supportive of the City of Regina Pipe Band, and just a week back was at the Ceilidh, and in the fall was at the Pub Krawl. I really appreciated Bruce's support of the Summer School here, and his enthusiasm as a student. It was not always easy for a man so accomplished in academic and professional life [Phd in Engineering; Professor; Dean of Engineering; professional credentials] to be a student of piping, and he took it on with passion and energy that I admired. I'll miss Bruce at the school this summer, and whenever the local bands get together to play. Our condolences to his family, and to the members of the bands of which he was such a great member.