William Cook was associated with greatness.
The late entrepreneur grew his business from creating
catheters in a Bloomington, Indiana, apartment into the world's
largest family-owned medical device manufacturer, Cook Inc.
In 1985, he began the Star of Indiana drum and bugle corps
that within six years would win the Drum Corps International
Division I World Championship. This musical enterprise would then
go on to the Broadway stage as the Tony Awardwinning show,
Blast!
His historic preservation efforts included the
restoration of Southern Indiana's West Baden Springs Hotel, which
brought Indiana's famed French Lick Resort back to life and earned
Bill Cook recognition for saving one of the state's significant
landmarks.
"Bill truly epitomized the meaning of success," says Cook
Group Chairman Steve Ferguson. |
William Cook left his legacy at Rose- Hulman as well. He
provided a major philanthropic gift to the Vision to be the Best
fundraising campaign, presented annual guest lectures, and
supported the expansion of the life sciences on campus.
Last year, a $500,000 donation from his son, Carl,
established the William Alfred Cook Laboratory for Bioscience
Research. Opening later this fall on the south side of Crapo Hall,
the 1,350-square-foot facility will allow students to develop
knowledge of the biological sciences through handson education in
plant life.
"My father was a cross-disciplinary inventor who used
engineering technology to solve complex problems in the field of
internal medicine," says Carl Cook, a member of Rose-Hulman's Board
of Trustees. "Our family is proud to help advance this
cross-disciplinary approach to learning and experimentation in the
new William Alfred Cook Laboratory |
 for Bioscience Research. In this
facility, students will explore the roles of biology, botany,
chemistry, and engineering in finding solutions for complex
problems."
The laboratory was constructed with the help of several
alumni-run companies, including Garmong Construction Services, and
fabricated by the Winandy Greenhouse Company, led by Hank Doherty
(CE, 1979). The lead structural engineer was Michael Waldbieser
(CE, 1993).
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