Genius of American Life

Daniel Boone is regarded as the first real American folk hero. Without his cunning bravery, settlement west of the Appalachians may not have been made possible for years. Boone’s Wilderness Road, which is still used today, helped bridge the Cumberland Gap, granting access to the state of Kentucky from Pennsylvania.

William R. Cook is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo, where he has taught since 1970. He received his Bachelor’s degree cum laude at Wabash College and his Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Professor Cook teaches courses in medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation history as well as the history of the Bible and of Christianity. His books include Images of St. Francis of Assisi and Francis of Assisi: The Way of Poverty and Humility.

Professor Cook received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1974. In 1992, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education named him New York State’s Professor of the Year.

Professor Cook and Professor Ronald B. Herzman have been collaborating intensively since 1973 when they team-taught a course at SUNY-Geneseo called "The Age of Chaucer." Subsequent courses included "The Age of Dante" and "The Age of Francis of Assisi." Both prolific writers in their own right, together they have published The Medieval World View with the Oxford University Press, currently in its second edition. In 2003, Professors Cook and Herzman were presented with the Medieval Academy of America’s first-ever CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching Medieval Studies.