Robert Levi Rooke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Levi Rooke (June 2, 1891 – June 27, 1994) was an American businessman and philanthropist, and benefactor to Bucknell University.
- Businessman
- philanthropist
Robert Levi Rooke | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1891 Winfield, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 27, 1994 (aged 103) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Burial place | Lewisburg Cemetery, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1919–1994 |
He gifted Rooke Chapel to Bucknell University in memory of his parents. Rooke Hall, at Colby–Sawyer College, is named for him.
Rooke was born in 1891 in Winfield, Pennsylvania, to Charles M. Rooke and Olive Susan Kreamer.[1] He was their second child; their first, daughter Fanny, died aged two.
After studying in a one-room schoolhouse in Winfield,[1] in 1913 Rooke graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Bucknell University, located four miles upstream from his hometown.[1] He began working for the General Electric Company and Public Service Electric in New Jersey.[2]
During World War I, he served in the United States Navy.[2]
Career
Rooke became a partner in Merrill Lynch and Company in 1928, nine years after joining the company as a bond salesman. He later established the company's Newark office.[2]
