We Mourn the Passing of Bruce Cook

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It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of the Foundation’s President, Bruce Cook.  A formal  obituary and announcement of services is available here

Bruce Cook was born December 30, 1928 at Memorial Healthcare in Owosso, the son of Donald and Florence-Etta “Cookie” Cook, the benefactors of the Cook Family Foundation. He graduated in 1946 from Owosso High School and attended the University of Michigan where he earned bachelor’s (1950) and master’s (1951) degrees in Business Administration. He was married to Jacqueline in La Jolla, California on April 25, 1953, while serving as a US Navy officer during the Korean War.

After a career as a homebuilder in Port Huron and Niles, he returned to Owosso in 1971 to join his father at Wolverine Sign Works.  Bruce was instrumental in the creation of the Cook Family Foundation in 1978, and assisted his parents with the Foundation’s first grants, and helped the Foundation in 1997-98 absorb the estate gift of Donald Cook and appoint Tom Cook as the first Executive Director of the Foundation. Upon his retirement from Wolverine Sign in 2009, he volunteered as the full-time President of the Cook Family Foundation.

Throughout the 44-year history of the Foundation, Bruce actively recruited students to the University of Michigan, and helped award more than 885 scholarships to students from the greater Shiawassee County region. Separately from the Foundation, Bruce and Jackie Cook award an annual four-year, full tuition scholarship to the University of Michigan.  There have been 18 recipients of this scholarship and through the cooperation of the Foundation, Jackie Cook, and the University of Michigan, this scholarship will continue.

Bruce was a founding board member of the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, and an emeritus board member of the Shiawassee Family YMCA.  He believed strongly in the work of local nonprofit organizations, and volunteered–and personally donated to–a large number of community and civic causes.

A celebration of Bruce’s life and his charitable work was held on  Sunday, October 30 at the Performing Arts Center at Owosso High School. See the Celebration of Life Slideshow – Bruce Cook (credit DLP David-Lorne Photographic) and/or Photos taken during Celebration of Life event (credit Harley J Seeley Photography).

Memorial contributions in Bruce’s name may be made to Christ Episcopal Church or the Shiawassee Family YMCA.

Class of 2023 Bruce & Jacqueline Cook Scholarship Nominees

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Twenty-nine of the most academically accomplished high school seniors from the Shiawassee County area recently made a trip to Ann Arbor. (See below for the full listing of all forty-four nominees, which includes those nominees unable to attend the trip.)

Forty-four of Shiawassee County region’s most academically accomplished high school seniors have been nominated for scholarships to the University of Michigan by the Cook Family Foundation.  One of these students will be selected to receive a four-year, full-tuition, scholarship from Bruce and Jacqueline Cook.

In order to assist them with their college selection, thirty-one of the nominees recently attended an overnight trip to the University of Michigan. There they had the opportunity to meet with admission officers, to take a tour of the campus and stadium, to hear a presentation from a professor, and to spend time with students from the Shiawassee County area presently enrolled at the University of Michigan.

“We want to make sure the leaders and the best among local high school students seriously consider the University of Michigan for the next level of education,” said Foundation President Bruce Cook.  “We are committed to the academic success of local students, and are committed to building partnerships with our public schools and our oldest public university.”

Each of the nominees will receive at least a $3,000 scholarship to the University of Michigan from the Cook Family Foundation.  The Cook Family Foundation annually provides a scholarship to any student from the greater Shiawassee region admitted to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.  

If they apply and are admitted to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the following students will be considered for the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship: from Byron: Olivia Chapman, Julia Slackta, Kelsea Strzelecki-Davis; from Chesaning: Hannah Cooper, Dominick Hernandez,, Breeanna Schlicker, Kathrine Shelton, Joshua Sicard, Emily Smith, and Eric Waswick; from Corunna:  Haley Kennedy, Isaiah Shook, Kaylee Siddens, Peyton TerMeer; from Durand:  Zachary David, Jillian Reddy, Hannah Sharkey, and Jaxon Smith; from Laingsburg:  Kathryn Magyar, Sydney Morrill, Casmir Palazzolo, and Ian Smith; from Morrice:  Payton Gutting, from New Lothrop:  Hayden Andres and Tyler Kohlmann; from Ovid-Elsie: Brooklyn Belill, Austin Darling, Ryan Gavenda, Breckin Kirby, Ella Powell, Austin Smith, Alexis Spitzley, and Gabrielle Steele; from Owosso:  Claire Agnew, Amanda Brainerd, Tanner Cummings, Abigail Dryer, Tyler Hufnagel, Liam McGraw, Marisa Rose, and John (Jay) Tuttle; and from Perry:  Cassidy Flick, Jonah Smith, and David Zheng.

This is the eighteenth year of the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship, which is funded entirely by its namesakes.  Past recipients of the Bruce and Jackie Cook Scholarship have included Dillan Morell from New Lothrop in 2022, Elizabeth Tolrud from Owosso in 2021, Mason Collard from Owosso and Kyah Ribble from Perry in 2020, Autumn Zwiernik from Laingsburg in 2019, Tyson Moore from Corunna in 2018, Elizabeth Hoornstra from Chesaning in 2017, Mitchell Lawrence from Byron in 2016, Nick Miller from Laingsburg in 2015, Nolan Wendling from New Lothrop in 2014, Emily Feuka from Perry in 2013, Sam Whaley from Perry in 2012, Adam Stewart from Laingsburg in 2011, Valerie Micol from Byron in 2010, Adam Dingens from Corunna in 2009, Randy Piper from Owosso in 2008, Dan Frechtling from Perry in 2007 and Kendra Frye from Owosso in 2006.

In addition to scholarships to help students attend the University of MIchigan in Ann Arbor, the Foundation recently announced The University of Michigan Shiawassee Advantage.  Now any graduating senior with a GPA of 3.5 or higher from any of the ten high schools in the greater Shiawassee region will receive a $3,000 Cook Family Foundation Scholarship if they enroll at any one of the three University of Michigan campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn or Flint).  Additionally, these students will then become eligible for many of the substantial U of M merit-based scholarships, as well as the full-tuition Go Blue Guarantee if they have demonstrated financial need.

For assistance applying to UM, or for more information on scholarships, contact the Foundation.

NEW University of Michigan Shiawassee Advantage

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Pictured with the Foundation’s President, Bruce Cook are (from left) University of Michigan-Flint’s support team for the Shiawassee area: Brent Nickola, Senior Officer Major Gifts; Nia Bashir-Benton, Undergraduate Admissions Counselor; Shari Schrader, Vice Chancellor for Advancement; and Chris Giordano, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. (Photo Credit: DLP David-Lorne Photographic)

 

The Cook Family  Foundation is proud to announce the new University Of Michigan Shiawassee Advantage. Now any high school senior with a grade point of 3.5 or higher from any of the ten area high schools serving all or part of Shiawassee County will now receive a $3,000 Cook Family Foundation Scholarship if they enroll at any U Of M campus. In addition​,​ these students will become eligible for the many U Of M merit-based scholarships as well as the full-tuition Go Blue Guarantee if they have demonstrated financial need.

A  reception honoring students from this area who are planning on attending the University Of Michigan-Flint this fall was held at the Owosso Country Club on Tuesday, August 16. It was sponsored jointly by the Cook Family Foundation and the University Of Michigan-Flint.  Several representatives of the UM-Flint team that support the students of the greater Shiawassee area were in attendance (pictured above), with Chris Giordano as the featured speaker.

“I was deeply honored to be a part of the Cook Family Foundation student reception for scholarship recipients. For over four decades, Bruce Cook and the Cook Family Foundation have been awarding scholarships to assist area students to attend the University of Michigan. And the newly-announced University of Michigan Shiawassee Advantage will support even more area students to attend UM-Flint. Their dedication and commitment to the support of our young adults and the value of higher education serves the future of our region, state and nation. I look forward to a growing partnership between the Cook Family Foundation and UM-Flint!”
~Chris Giordano, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of Michigan-Flint

Scholarship recipients invited to the event and who will be attending ​the University of Michigan-Flint this fall graduated from the following high schools: ​

Byron:              Madeline Davis, Kylee Flaherty, Paige Fondren, Julia Lane​

Corunna:          Leah Clough, Lucas Cunningham, Noah Dutcher, and John (Maxwell) Walker

Durand:            Lauren Brewer, Allyson Gillett, Aidan Loos, Lillian Scripter, Ryleigh Shephard, and Alicia Wright

Laingsburg:     Justin Grandy

Morrice:            Hayley Lademann

New Lothrop:   Jacob Burgess, Savannah Taylor

Ovid-Elsie:        Abigail Cooper and Callum Holley

Owosso:           Kelsey And​ry​kovich​, Keera Barnhill, and Keanan Springer

 

To learn more about the Cook Family Foundation’s scholarship work and learn more about how to apply, go to our Scholarships Overview page.