I was born May 23, 1952 in Newark, New Jersey to George Henry and Lucy Mae Langston Cook, the third child and oldest son of this marriage’s seven children, I was raised in the federal housing projects and educated in Newark’s public schools where I participated in extra curricular music organizations. I entered the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam Era and began to photograph and write for my pleasure. In 1974, I enrolled in Essex County College in Newark where I earned an AS Degree in Secondary Education and high honors. There I participated in student publications. I transferred to Arizona State University where I received a BS Degree in History, participated actively in student organizations, and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. I am the only one of my siblings to gain a college degree. I spent most of the last 30 years employed in Social Services or Education. I am divorce and the step-father of two very intelligent and lovely ladies.