Bill was born in Evansville, Indiana on April 23, 1921. He was attending UCLA when the attack on Pearl Harbor prompted him to join the Navy. Commissioned July 1943 as a Naval Aviator, Bill served in the Air Ferry Service, Squadron One, flying outgoing naval aircraft cross-country to be boarded onto the aircraft carriers heading to the Pacific theater. Following the war, Bill returned home to Indiana to finish his education at Evansville College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business. He remained a Naval Reserve Officer until 1956.
In 1943 he married Billie Collyer of Kansas City, and in 1963 he married Mary (Mollie) Androess Brewster of New Orleans.
He worked for a time in Evansville at his family’s business, Cook’s BBQ, and subsequently began his career in telecommunications advertising. With the advent of TV, Bill was recruited to Jacksonville in 1949 to work at WMBR (now WJXT Channel 4), the first television station in Jacksonville, and the second station in the state of Florida, where he sold advertising, and subsequently produced the Glenn Reeves Show. Bill went on to become a partner with the advertising firm Dennis, Parsons and Cook, which led him to create his own advertising agency, William Cook Advertising. Bill led the helm at William Cook Advertising for 25 strong years. Known as the Godfather of Advertising in the Southeast, William Cook Advertising created some of the best known ad campaigns, (many of which are still in use today), including Winn Dixie’s “The Beef People,” “Florida’s First Coast,” “Bold New City of the South,” and dozens others. His influence is far-reaching, as evidenced by the numerous successful ad agencies which were spawned from William Cook Advertising. He was awarded the Silver Medal by the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. Retired in 1990, Bill and Mollie enjoyed spending time between their homes in Atlantic Beach and Waynesville, NC.
Bill was active in his churches, St. Paul’s By-the-Sea in Jacksonville Beach and Grace Episcopal in Waynesville. He played an integral role with the Davis Family to bring Mayo Clinic to Jacksonville. Bill was a leading and founding member of Selva Marina Country Club, established in 1958. He was named a Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow, was the arbiter for the founding of the Institute for World Capitalism at Jacksonville University, was a member of the Free Masons, and supported numerous charities and foundations.
Apart from his business and civic interests, Bill was an avid reader; particularly of politics, poetry, history--especially relating to the American Civil War, and had a keen interest in Billy the Kid. He enjoyed his annual ski trips until the age of 80, and had the great privilege of attending the Master’s Golf Tournament for several years. Bill enjoyed (usually) his weekly “coffee club” where he, along with his brother, Bob and friends discussed and debated current events. Most evenings, you could undoubtedly find Bill enjoying a drink at his favorite watering hole, Pete’s Bar.
Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Mollie Cook; his daughter Constance Collyer Phillips, and his brother Robert B. Cook. He is survived by his children William F. Cook (Cheryl Parfitt Cook), Betsy B. Cook, Jane R. Cook, and Robert B.F. Cook (Terry Candeloro Cook); Grandchildren Brandon Cook (Suzanne Jenkins Cook), Courtney Hohney, Harrison Cook, Olivia Cook, and Daniel Cook; Great-grandchildren Lici Heredia, Kenneth Hohney, Jaiden Hohney, and Greyson Cook, and his three nephews, Tom, Bob and Bill Cook.
Funeral Service will be held at 11 am on Thursday October 24, 2019, St Paul’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s name to Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research at https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc.
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