Jim Cook Jr.

Jim Cook Jr. (born August 25, 1987 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American writer and actor who served in the United States Army. In 2012, Cook ran a successful election campaign by only using social media.[1]

James R. Cook, Jr.
Jim Cook Jr. at the grand opening gala of the Levoy Theatre in September 2012.
Born (1987-08-25) August 25, 1987
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A., Journalism
Alma materRowan University
Military career
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service2013 - 2018
RankSergeant (E-5)

Biography

Cook graduated from Rowan University in May 2010 and joined the South Jersey Times as a news reporter in November.

In September 2012, Cook wrote and produced Roundabout: A New Amusement, a play about the history of the Levoy Theatre. The play was performed for the theater's grand opening gala.[2]

Around 10 p.m. the night before the general 2012 election, Cook launched a last-minute bid with no funding and less than 24 hours to win a seat on the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District school board of education.[3] Later that month, it was announced Cook had won a seat representing Pilesgrove Twp. using only social media to rally votes.[4]

Due to his position as an editor, Cook was urged by the South Jersey Times to decline the BOE appointment to avoid a conflict of interest, to which he agreed.[5]

On Oct. 3, 2013, Cook announced his departure from the South Jersey Times and his enlistment into the United States Army.[6]He completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina in February 2014. He served his full enlistment at Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea assigned to the 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment (3rd BCD-K).

Stray electricity investigation

From 2010 to 2013 at the South Jersey Times (then The News of Cumberland County), Cook worked closely with former 1981 NFL Baltimore Colt defensive lineman Anthony Bubba Green on a series investigating the city of Baltimore, Md. in the electrocution death of Green's daughter Deanna in Druid Hill Park in 2006.[7] The series — along with various legal proceedings[8] — assisted in the creation of the Deanna Camille Green Rule, which requires electric companies in Maryland to survey for contact voltage (stray electricity). The overall intention of the rule is to prevent accidental electrocutions.[9]

The series — later titled Battling Stray Electricity: A family's journey — received a 2010 New Jersey Press Association award in Public Service.[10]

Work

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (2010)

• Roundabout — A New Amusement (2012)

Awards

• New Jersey Press Association 2010 | Lloyd P. Burns Award for Public Service[11]

• New Jersey Press Association 2012 | Breaking News[12]

Theatre credits
Year(s) Production Role Location
2012 Roundabout Jim Levoy Theatre
2013 Biloxi Blues James Hennesey Levoy Theatre
2013 Les Misérables (musical) Enjolras Levoy Theatre
2019 To Kill A Mockingbird Nathan & Boo Radley Levoy Theatre
2021 The Boys In The Band (play) Michael Levoy Theatre

References
  1. "Journalist Uses Only Facebook To Win Local Election". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  2. Levoy celebrates grand opening with song, applause Archived 2013-04-11 at Archive.today, The Daily Journal.com, Sep 23, 2012
  3. "New Jersey Journalist Uses Only Facebook To Win Local Election". AllFacebook. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  4. "Journalist wins school board seat with 24-hour write-in campaign on Facebook". Jimromenesko.Com. 2012-11-26. Archived from the original on 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  5. New Jersey. "How I won an election by only using Facebook". NJ.com. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  6. New Jersey. "I Enlisted In The U.S. Army". Jim Cook Jr. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  7. , South Jersey Times, March 21, 2013
  8. The News of Cumberland County, November 11, 2010
  9. Maryland: Office of the Secretary of State. 20.50.11.00. Title 20 PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Subtitle 50 SERVICE SUPPLIED BY ELECTRIC COMPANIES Chapter 11 Deanna Camille Green Rule ― Contact Voltage Survey Requirement and Reporting Authority: Public Utilities Article, §2-113, 2-121, 5-101, and 5-303, Annotated Code of Maryland.
  10. New Jersey Press Association 2010 Better Newspaper Contest results. Editorial, daily.


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