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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Bill Cook of Bloomington, Indiana; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Bill Cook was born on January 27, 1931, in
5Mattoon; as a child, he and his parents moved around from one
6town to the next before settling in Canton, where, as a
7teenager, he worked as a lifeguard and night watchman; he
8graduated from Canton High School in 1949; he subsequently
9earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Northwestern
10University in 1953 and pursued post-graduate work in physics at
11Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Bill Cook was the founder of the Bloomington-based
13medical equipment manufacturer Cook Group Inc.; be began his
14business from the spare bedroom of his Bloomington, Indiana
15apartment in 1963; after securing a $1,500 investment, he began
16to construct the wire guides, needles, and catheters that would
17become the foundation of the global multi-billion-dollar Cook
18Group; in September of 2010, he was ranked number 101 on the
19Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Bill Cook purchased and improved several
21properties in Canton, including the Fulton Square Mall, the
22Randolph Building in downtown Canton, the Lewis Pharmacy

 

 

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1building, several acres of property at the former International
2Harvester plant site, where the Cook Canton medical device
3production facility was built, and property at the corner of
4Main and Locust Streets, where the new Harvester Inn boutique
5hotel is being constructed; he was a leading force in plans to
6open the Canton square to traffic, which could once again move
7around the perimeter of Jones Park; he believed strongly in
8beautification, asking local artists Scott and Tracy Snowman to
9create murals which recalled Canton in the 1800s; he and his
10wife, Gayle, were also involved in many historical restoration
11projects in the Midwest, including the rejuvenation of the
12domed West Baden Springs Hotel; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Bill Cook was the subject of the 2008 book, 'The
14Bill Cook Story: Ready, Fire, Aim!'; and
 
15    WHEREAS, On April 9, 2010, Bill Cook received the Horatio
16Alger Association of Distinguished Americans' highest civilian
17honor, the Horatio Alger Award, to recognize the achievements
18of his life's work during a special ceremony in Washington,
19D.C.; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
21ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
22his family and friends, the passing of Bill Cook; and be it
23further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Bill Cook as an expression of our
3sympathy.