Elwood Thomas Cooke was an outstanding amateur tennis player in the 1930s and 1940s.

Cooke was ranked in Top 10 in the United States in 1938 (ranked No. 7), 1939 (No. 6), 1940 (No. 9), and 1945 (No. 4).

At Wimbledon, he reached the singles final in 1939 before falling to Bobby Riggs

Bobby Riggs

Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947...

, but won the doubles title that year with Riggs. He was the U.S. Indoor Doubles champion with Riggs in 1940.

At the Cincinnati Masters

Cincinnati Masters

The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...

, he reached both the singles and the doubles final in 1945. He lost the singles final to future International Tennis Hall of Fame

International Tennis Hall of Fame

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...

 enshrinee Bill Talbert

Bill Talbert

William Franklin "Billy" Talbert was an American tennis player and administrator.He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 13 times between 1941 & 1954. He won nine Grand Slam doubles titles, and also reached the men’s doubles finals of the U.S. National Championship nine times. mainly with favorite...

, and the doubles final to Talbert and Hal Surface.

He held the Pacific Northwest Sectional singles ranking of No. 2 in 1935, and No. 1 in 1936, and was ranked No. 1 in doubles in the Pacific Northwest (with Don Lewis) in 1935.

In the Oregon State Tournament, he won the singles title in 1936, and the doubles title with Wayne Sabin in 1935 and with Sam Lee

Sam Lee (tennis)

Sam Lee is a former NCAA champion tennis player.As a youth tennis player, Lee reached as high as #7 in the U.S. tennis rankings for players 15 and under. He attended Stanford University, and as a sophomore, won the 1933 NCAA Doubles Championship with partner Joe Coughlin...

 in 1936. His 1935 win was over Newton and Bennett who had just won the National Intercollegiate Doubles title.

In the Pacific Northwest Sectional, he won the singles title in 1935 and 1936, and the doubles title with Wayne Sabin in 1935. He was a Naval Officer during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and was married to International Tennis Hall of Famer Sarah Palfrey Cooke

Sarah Palfrey Cooke

Sarah Hammond Palfrey Fabyan Cooke Danzig was a female tennis player from the United States....

.

After he retired from tournament play, he was the head tennis professional at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, New York from 1961-1981.