Full Text of SR0179 97th General Assembly
SR0179 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of
Bill Cook of Bloomington, Indiana; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cook was born on January 27, 1931, in | 5 | | Mattoon; as a child, he and his parents moved around from one | 6 | | town to the next before settling in Canton, where, as a | 7 | | teenager, he worked as a lifeguard and night watchman; he | 8 | | graduated from Canton High School in 1949; he subsequently | 9 | | earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Northwestern | 10 | | University in 1953 and pursued post-graduate work in physics at | 11 | | Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cook was the founder of the Bloomington-based | 13 | | medical equipment manufacturer Cook Group Inc.; be began his | 14 | | business from the spare bedroom of his Bloomington, Indiana | 15 | | apartment in 1963; after securing a $1,500 investment, he began | 16 | | to construct the wire guides, needles, and catheters that would | 17 | | become the foundation of the global multi-billion-dollar Cook | 18 | | Group; in September of 2010, he was ranked number 101 on the | 19 | | Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cook purchased and improved several | 21 | | properties in Canton, including the Fulton Square Mall, the | 22 | | Randolph Building in downtown Canton, the Lewis Pharmacy |
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| 1 | | building, several acres of property at the former International | 2 | | Harvester plant site, where the Cook Canton medical device | 3 | | production facility was built, and property at the corner of | 4 | | Main and Locust Streets, where the new Harvester Inn boutique | 5 | | hotel is being constructed; he was a leading force in plans to | 6 | | open the Canton square to traffic, which could once again move | 7 | | around the perimeter of Jones Park; he believed strongly in | 8 | | beautification, asking local artists Scott and Tracy Snowman to | 9 | | create murals which recalled Canton in the 1800s; he and his | 10 | | wife, Gayle, were also involved in many historical restoration | 11 | | projects in the Midwest, including the rejuvenation of the | 12 | | domed West Baden Springs Hotel; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cook was the subject of the 2008 book, 'The | 14 | | Bill Cook Story: Ready, Fire, Aim!'; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, On April 9, 2010, Bill Cook received the Horatio | 16 | | Alger Association of Distinguished Americans' highest civilian | 17 | | honor, the Horatio Alger Award, to recognize the achievements | 18 | | of his life's work during a special ceremony in Washington, | 19 | | D.C.; therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 22 | | his family and friends, the passing of Bill Cook; and be it | 23 | | further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Bill Cook as an expression of our | 3 | | sympathy.
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