This article originally appeared in Duke Today on February 14, 2025.
The Cook Society was founded in 1997 to honor the legacy of the pioneering Duke faculty member and trustee Samuel DuBois Cook. Hired by the political science department in 1966, Cook was Duke’s first Black faculty member. He later became president of Dillard University.
The Cook Society Award recipients follow Cook’s example by dedicating themselves to social justice, equality and strengthening the campus community.
“All these individuals, in the words of Dr. Cook, sought justice, human decency and compassion,” said Duke President Vincent Price. “Through their work on our campus and throughout our region and state, this celebration offers a moment of reflection and consideration of our place in the broader trajectory of our university’s history. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the contributions made by so very many people along the way as we worked to foster a more inclusive campus community.”
Historian of the U.S. South
A historian of the U.S. South, Thavolia Glymph has produced histories that uncovered important new stories that have reshaped our historical understanding of the Civil War and much of U.S. history. The Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History, Glymph’s studies have won numerous awards, and elevated her to the presidency of the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association.
Two of her books offer important narratives about the Civil War and its aftermath. In 2008’s Out of the House of Bondage, she wrote about the transformation of the plantation household after emancipation, challenging the notion that white plantation mistresses were benevolent, caring matriarchs who loved the enslaved women. In 2020’s The Women’s Fight, Glymph further explored the role of women both Black and white during the Civil War and showed the nation’s fault lines ran not just across race and region but also gender. At Duke, she has been a leader in the study of university institutional history, assisting students, faculty and staff in finding previously untold stories.
Glymph received the Raymond Gavins Distinguished Faculty Award, named after her late history department colleague, the first tenured Black faculty member in history. He was an acclaimed scholar of African American history and mentored four generations of students, many of whom became professors across the university.
In her remarks Glymph paid tribute to Gavins: “I want us to remember the vibrant community of scholars that he nurtured here at Duke, that he nurtured throughout North Carolina and the nation. I want us to remember his pioneering scholarship. I want us to remember his legendary mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students. … His record speaks to a fierce dedication to students and to Duke.”
A Master of Public Policy Student
A first-generation Nigerian American and second-year master of public policy student in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Eni Owoeye has done extensive international research and policy work, often with a focus on ocean-climate issues and policy. She furthered these studies at the United Nations Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of State and several nonprofit organizations.
A stint conducting research in the maritime shipping industry further expanded her repertoire of environmental issues while capturing concerns such as public health and labor rights. She was a 2022 Fulbright Scholar in Romania. At Duke she serves as president of Sanford School’s Policy in Living Color; co-president of the school’s Africa Policy Group; executive board member of the Black Policy Conference; and member of the Duke Climate Commitment Advisory Council. Owoeye won the Cook Society Graduate Student Award.
“I’m deeply honored to be here today to receive the Cook Society award because I believe that the legacy of Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook is some of the most compelling parts of what it means to be a part of this community,” Owoeye said in accepting the award.
Head Coach
The founding head coach of Duke’s softball team Marissa Young has in just a few years turned Duke into a powerhouse. She has led the team to the NCAA tournament three times, reaching the College World Series last year. With an overall record of 265-106, her teams have won two Atlantic Coast Conference titles. Her students also excel in the classroom: The team boasts 63 NFCA Scholar-Athlete selections, 51 All-ACC Academic
Team honors, five CSC Academic All-Americans and two ACC Scholar-Athlete of Year awards.
Young came to Duke as its first African American female head coach. On campus, she has led several initiatives to benefit the Duke community, including helping to organize the initial Unity Rally on Martin Luther King Day, which is now an annual event, and bringing the anti-racism program “Real Talk” to campus. Young received the Cook Society Staff Award.
“It is truly humbling to know that my legacy here at Duke extends far beyond the softball field,” Young said. “It is about creating a more cohesive and inclusive environment for both our student-athletes and staff, not only now but for many years to come.”
Future Teacher
A junior psychology major and education minor at Duke, Jasmin Riley received the Society’s Undergraduate Student Award. Riley has been a student leader in strengthening community-university partnerships with a focus on expanding STEM education opportunities for minority students in local schools. Much of this work has been through a Bass Connections project and in her role as chief marketing officer for CS Sidekicks, a non-profit that mentors historically underserved students in computer science skills. Her goal is to become an elementary school teacher after graduation.
On campus, Riley has fostered a sense of community for Black students. She sings with Duke’s gospel choir, United in Praise and serves as co-house director of the Mitchell-White House Living Learning Community and as assistant publicity chair for the Black Student Alliance.
It’s this connection with other students and staff in working on issues they are passionate about that Riley said is most meaningful to her. “Every time I connect with others (to discuss issues), I’m excited, not because I think I’m about to change lives, but because I know they are about to change mine,” Riley said.
Cook died in 2017. His wife, Sylvia Cook, attended Thursday’s ceremony and said she was moved by the work of the award winners. “More than ever, we need the work of the Cook Society as it continues to promote humanity, equity and unity,” she said. “Tonight’s honorees are shining examples of the beloved community declared by Dr. Martin Luther King and shared by his classmate and friend Samuel DuBois Cook.”