Jimbalaya Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I had met Bill just once, introduced to him by Larry Hershman after a Serenade in Brass show in the early '90's. Admired and respected the man for who he was and what he had done. Most sincere condolences to the Cook and "Star" families and all those folks he has touched over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Here in Indiana every Local TV news org. ran a piece on Mr. Cook. the best one I seen, was a man saying "Instead a moment of silence, let's have a moment of noise" at which time all stood up and let it ripped....... The state of Indiana has lost a great man............ His foundation gave 10s of millions of dollars back to the people of Indiana young and old alike. Mr. Cook was so humble that one would not know that he was the richest man in Indiana....... Mr. Cooks Legacy will live forever in the good that his foundation does for the people in Indiana. That's the event I was at with Tom Blair and Dan Acheson and their wives. It was originally to be a tribute to the Cook family on the event of the dedication of the Indiana Landmarks Center that they stepped in to save and renovate. Indiana Landmarks President Marsh Davis opened the event in the refurbished Grand Hall by stating that Bill liked loud things, so instead of mourning, the 600 people in the hall should give a joyous burst of acclamation. So, for well over a minute, everyone stood and clapped and shouted "Bravo!" for a life well lived and a job well done. It was an unexpected moment of wondrous joy. If you get to check out a music event in this great hall, do so. On Sunday, the second day of the dedication event, I attended the Classical Bash and sat in the back row to listen to the music, as opposed to the front for the Mellencamp tribute and the other events of the first night. The acoustics are shocking. The concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra played a solo violin work and it felt like I was on stage with him. It may be due to the dome...I don't know...but Indianapolis has a grand new performance space that is remarkable. It was quite emotional to run into all the people from Cook Incorporated who I got to know when I worked on a book project about the pioneers of coronary angioplasty, but the event soon turned into a joyous celebration of Bill's work and his life. I've been asked to write a bio piece about him for DCI.org. I've got to give that a couple days. I'm just not ready yet. As recent as last Tuesday, Bill attended the final construction meeting at the complex. Fortunately, he and Gayle were asked if they wished to attend a wedding the previous Saturday, the first event to be held in Cook Hall of the newly-christened Indiana Landmarks Center. They didn't know the couple getting married, but they showed up to see how the hall worked in real life and to check out the refurbished grand pipe organ. What a blessing he got to at least see the room in use. The family is doing as well as can be expected. They've asked that instead of mourning, all celebrate his life as he would want. Gayle personally instructed Marsh Davis to start off the dedication event on a positive note so the event wouldn't turn into one of sadness. When I spoke with Gayle yesterday, she asked if the organ really sounded as good as her and Bill thought, that she wanted to hear about Charles Webb's performance from a musician. I told her it was at least as good as they believed, and that it was especially magnificent when it was loud. She replied that Bill would be pleased. He enjoyed things loud, which is one reason he fell in love with drum corps. The outpouring of love from the drum corps community is appreciated by his family and friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 No ####. I have two drug-eluting stents in my coronary arteries, the insertion of which last year prevented a heart attack that would have been inevitable. Were it not for the work that Bill did with Dr. Charlie Dotter of OHSU, at a time when interventional radiology was held in slightly higher regard in the medical community than voodoo, that technology might not have evolved as quickly, or to the efficacy that it has. The hell with drum corps ... The man made technology possible that has saved, most likely, a few million lives at this point. The drum corps thing looks frivolous in comparison. P.S.: If there is a Heaven, in the Judeo-Christian sense, I hope god realizes that Bill will be busting his stones about a management re-org before the week is out. Quoted for truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weaklefthand4ever Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 RIP Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevingamin Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I didn't know Bill Cook outside of the stories told about Star of Indiana/Brass Theater/Blast. The only time I met him was at the Bob Lendman ceremony which Star United played, just over a week ago. Mr. Cook made sure to thank each and every member of the corps for their performance that day. Little did we know that he would be gone so soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I didn't know Bill Cook outside of the stories told about Star of Indiana/Brass Theater/Blast. The only time I met him was at the Bob Lendman ceremony which Star United played, just over a week ago. Mr. Cook made sure to thank each and every member of the corps for their performance that day. Little did we know that he would be gone so soon. When was that? No one told me. When I flew to Florida March 24, I drove straight from Tampa Airport to see Allison and she didn't know anything about it yet. But then, I drove straight from Indianapolis Airport to Dayton for WGI Guard Championships and was only home April 10th through the 13th before returning to Dayton. And by then, the Star Alumni website was down...due to hacking according to Nancy Brown. Still, I'm sorry I didn't know about the ceremony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appleknocker Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 What was the date of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matye Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 What a perfect tribute ... "Going Home" ... Godspeed ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstein Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 When was that? No one told me. When I flew to Florida March 24, I drove straight from Tampa Airport to see Allison and she didn't know anything about it yet. But then, I drove straight from Indianapolis Airport to Dayton for WGI Guard Championships and was only home April 10th through the 13th before returning to Dayton. And by then, the Star Alumni website was down...due to hacking according to Nancy Brown. Still, I'm sorry I didn't know about the ceremony. Michael, Many of us didn't know and sadly missed this opportunity to celebrate Bob's life. Apparently it was a rather quick decision made by the family, but I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the heartfelt speeches and the performance by the Star U gang. I spoke to Joanie last week and while many of us wish we could have been there, clearly the ceremony was healing and helpful to the family, so I am very, very glad for that. Best, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.