Joseph Anderson Cook Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: M209

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This multi-faceted collection consists of materials that encompass the entire Cook Family, but the principal subject is Joseph Anderson (Joe) Cook, first president of Mississippi Normal College at Hattiesburg, Mississippi. (It should be noted that the aforementioned institution has experienced three name changes since its inception -- State Teachers College, Mississippi Southern College, and the University of Southern Mississippi).

The collection is divided into five series:

Joe Cook Cook Family Photographs Books Memorabilia The first series is comprised of a brief biography, obituaries, correspondence, speeches, resolutions, newsclippings, and a selection of miscellaneous items. Items of interest in the correspondence are letters to Joe Cook from his father while he (Joe) was a student at Vanderbilt University, a letter to Miss Lizzie Harris from Joe Cook, and letters between Joe Cook and his children and grandchildren. A separate folder contains letters of condolence to Mrs. Joe Cook after her husband's death. There are four speeches written and delivered by Joe Cook, and a speech presented by Ann Cook Spurlock at Joe Cook Junior High School in Columbus, Mississippi. There are resolutions from faculty and students of State Teachers College on the occasion of Joe Cook's ousting as president, and resolutions from the Mississippi House and Senate and the Grand Lodge of Mississippi Free and Accepted Masons, on the occasion of Mr. Cook's death. The resolutions are followed by newsclippings, newspapers, and a copy of The State of Mississippi, which was written by Joe Cook in 1928 as a supplement to Peterman's Civil Government, for the purpose of bringing state government to the level of school children, in order to make it more teachable. Completing the section on Joe Cook are miscellaneous items, including a tribute to Cook written by A. T. McIlwain, who was cashier of the Artesia State Bank when Joe Cook was president of that institution, and items pertaining to "Joe Cook Appreciation Day" in 1991.

The second series consists of a broad array of materials relating to the Joe Cook Family, including such nostalgic items as Emily Cook's memory books covering her years at Hattiesburg High School and Mississippi Normal College (these were photocopied because the family wished to retain the originals); a speech written by Joe Cook, Jr.; a booklet of poems written by Elizabeth Cook and dedicated to her mother; a group of diplomas and certificates; and mementos such as, one of Emily Cook's wedding invitations and a pressed flower (possibly a wild honeysuckle) found in Elizabeth Cook's junior high school literature book. Another item of interest is a scrapbook kept by Everett Cook. It is comprised primarily of newsclippings concerning Joe Cook, but also contains photographs and other items of memorabilia. One of the most interesting items in the scrapbook is an essay entitled, "Joe Cook, Educator", written by Becky Hill in 1962. The series also contains correspondence, newsclippings, and magazine articles. Correspondence in this series includes letters from missionaries who had been guests in Emily Cook Bickerstaff's home (apparently, this was a common practice in the Bickerstaff family).

The third series is an extensive collection of photographs depicting the Cook family from approximately the late 1800s through the 1980s, including several photographs of Joe Cook, spanning the years from his youth to shortly before his death. Of particular interest are a photograph of Emily Cook preparing for the presentation of a bouquet of flowers to President William Howard Taft when he visited Columbus, Mississippi on November 2, 1909 (this has been photocopied because the Cook family wished to retain the original), and a 16" x 20" pastel of Everett Cook, done by his wife, Irene Griffin Cook in about 1961.

The photographs are followed by a series of books which belonged to various members of the Cook family. Among them are a Holy Bible presented to Joe Cook by his Bible class (Christmas 1924); a New Indexed Bible, which was Emily Cook Bickerstaff's study Bible from the time she was a bride in 1923 until the 1950s; a copy of Training of State Teachers College Faculties, signed by the author Dr. Harris Malone Cook and presented to his parents; The Influence of Court Decisions in Shaping School Policies in Mississippi with a personal inscription to Joe Cook from the author, Jennings Burton George; Red and Black by Grace S. Richmond (presented to Elizabeth Cook on her fifteenth birthday by her mother); and a copy of The Diary of Joe Cook, First President of Mississippi Southern College. The latter is written in anecdotal form, and provides insight into the character and personality of the man who called himself, "Teacher." A large portion of the books in this series belonged to Everett Cook, youngest son of Joe and Lizzie Cook. Titles include The Human Comedy (Vols. I & Iii, 1983); Roget's Thesaurus of English Words (1879); David Copperfield (1910); and The Doctors (1909). The Doctors is especially notable because of its unique leather binding.

Rounding out the collection is a series of items of memorabilia. Notable among these are a large aluminum canning pot, a cone-shaped aluminum strainer and stand, and a small wooden pestle. These items are said to have been used by the Tomato Club, which was organized at Mississippi Normal College by Joe Cook in 1912, and existed on campus until approximately 1921. Other unique items are a 15" snare drum said to have belonged to Everett Cook when he was a member of the State Teachers College Band, and a maroon and white Wedgwood plate engraved with a likeness of the University of Southern Mississippi Administration Building. The series also includes medals, baby shoes, wall plaques, and -- the piece de resistance -- the bunting, hat, and pins worn by Emily Cook when she presented flowers to President William Howard Taft.

This collection portrays the lives and times of a closely-knit, somewhat privileged family, headed by a man of high moral principles (his only vice of record is that he chewed tobacco incessantly) who was dedicated to the cause of education. It also illuminates the social and political cultures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One example is Emily Cook's high school memory book, which provides a clear image of the pleasures and pastimes of a high school senior in 1919.

Dates

Creation: 1879-1991

Creator

Cook Family (Family)

Conditions Governing Access

Noncirculating; available for research

Conditions Governing Use

This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).

Biographical / Historical

Joseph Anderson (Joe) Cook was born on November 16, 1862 in Artesia (Lowndes County), Mississippi. He was the middle child of five children born to William Henry Cook a native of Baldwin County, Georgia, and Martha Harvey Cook, who was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. There were three boys, a girl, then another boy. The oldest and youngest boys died in infancy, and the little girl died as a toddler. Joe's father was a plantation overseer. His mother was a homemaker, but she also assisted the plantation owner by supplying his family with poultry, eggs, butter, bacon, hams, and vegetables, as well as acting as hostess when he brought guests to the plantation.

Joe Cook's early education was accomplished at the township school in the small sawmill village of Farmersville, near his home. He entered Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in October 1878, shortly before his sixteenth birthday. He left college in about 1880, due to the death of his mother. In the intervening years, he took college course work on a correspondence basis, and attended classes during the summer months. He finally was awarded the Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt in 1898. He did some graduate work at Peabody Teacher's College in Memphis, but never completed requirements for a Master's Degree.

In 1885, Cook married Martha Blanche Harvey, at Artesia, Mississippi. Four children were born of that union -- Bessie, Albert Bledsoe(A.B.), William Harvey, and Ann.

After his marriage, Cook made several land purchases, which, when combined became a small plantation named "Three Oaks." Following several years of prosperity, he incurred financial difficulties, and in 1893, he sought employment to supplement income from the farm. He secured a teaching position at the school in Artesia, thereby finding his calling. He felt so strongly about the teaching profession that in subsequent writings, he referred to himself as "Teacher." He soon become principal at Artesia, and remained there eight years.

Martha Cook died in about 1893, and in 1894 Cook married Miss Lizzie Harris at Woodlawn (Yazoo County), Mississippi. Five children were born to this marriage -- Emily, Joe, Jr., Everett, Harris, and Elizabeth. To their children (and later to their grandchildren), Joe and Lizzie Cook were "Pappy" and "Muddie."

In 1902, Cook was elected Superintendent of city schools in Columbus, Mississippi, a position he held for ten years. The family lived in Columbus during the school year, and summers were spent on the plantation, near Artesia.

In 1908, Cook was selected as the first president of the Artesia State Bank, and remained in that position for five years, working only on Saturdays.

Beginning in 1907, Joe Cook served as president of the Mississippi Teachers Association, and in that capacity , he worked relentlessly for establishment of a Normal College to train state teachers.

In its 1910 session, the Mississippi Legislature passed an act allowing establishment of Mississippi Normal College, and in May of that year, Governor Edmond F. Noel appointed Joe Cook to the original Board of Trustees. Hattiesburg was chosen as the site for the new school, and at its December 27, 1910 meeting, the Board of Trustees selected Henry Whitfield, president of Mississippi Industrial Institute and College in Columbus (now Mississippi University for Women) as the school's first president. Whitfield declined, and the position was then offered to W. H. (Corn Club) Smith, the state supervisor of rural schools. Smith and the board worked out an agreement whereby Smith would supervise preparations for the new school on a part-time basis, with no salary, until February 1912, when he would assume the full responsibilities of the presidency. However, after only eight months, Smith resigned, and the board chose Joe Cook to succeed him. Cook accepted the position, at a beginning salary of $3500 per year.

Cook oversaw construction of the first buildings on campus, and worked with the City of Hattiesburg to have the streetcar line extended to the school. During his tenure as president, he guided the growth of Mississippi Normal College from a two-year college to a four-year, degree-granting institution on the brink of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Enrollment increased from 220 students to some 1600 students during the Cook administration, and in 1924, the school's name was changed to State Teachers College.

Tragedy struck the Cook family in 1925, when Joe Cook, Jr. died of complications following an appendectomy. Cook rebounded from his sorrow saying "... The boy cannot come back to us, but thank God, we know where he is and one day we shall go to him."

In 1928, at the behest of Governor Theodore G. Bilbo, the State Teachers College Board of Trustees voted to dismiss Joe Cook as president. Rumors abound as to the reason (or reasons) for this move. While the official reason given was age (Cook was 65 at the time), many people believe that it was a political ploy. Cook and Governor Bilbo had been political allies in the past, but enmity may have developed between them over the fact that State Teachers College did not support Bilbo in the gubernatorial election of 1927.

In October 1928, Cook was replaced by Claude Bennett, Superintendent of Biloxi, Mississippi city schools.

Irrespective of his age, Cook was elected state senator from Lowndes County in 1931. He served two consecutive terms, and was elected for a third. Throughout his legislative career, he continued to work diligently for education in the state.

Illness prevented Cook from taking the oath of office for his third term in the legislature, and on February 4, 1940, he died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Ann Cook Spurlock. Mr. Cook is buried in the old family cemetery at Artesia, Mississippi.

Joe Cook was active in church and civic organizations. He served on the Official Board of his local Methodist Church, was Past Grand Master and Noble Grand of the Odd Fellows, and was a Master Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias.

Cook wrote The State of Mississippi: A Supplement to Peterman's Civil Government, and co-authored The Century Speller.

On July 11, 1940, Joe Cook Memorial Library, on the Mississippi Southern College (formerly State Teachers College) campus was dedicated in his honor. The college soon outgrew that facility, and a larger, new library was constructed. On October 22, 1960, the new building was named the Joseph Anderson Cook Library. An oil painting of Joe Cook , presented to the school in 1930, is displayed in the main staircase of that building. Joe Cook Junior High School in Columbus, Mississippi was named in his honor in 1962, and an oil portrait of him was also presented to that school. As a special tribute, "Joe Cook Appreciation Day" was held at the University of Southern Mississippi on July 12, 1991.

Joe Cook was a pioneer of education in Mississippi, who provided college educations for all of his children at the school of their choice. He was committed to the common people. He disdained social amenities, saying they "smacked of aristocracy." He has been described as dynamic, outgoing, pleasant, and enthusiastic. Alma Hickman, in Southern As I Saw It describes him as "... honest, fair-dealing, fearless, and a treasured friend to all who worked with him" -- an altogether fitting epitaph for the man who has been called the "Father" of the University of Southern Mississippi, and was affectionately known to his students as "Daddy Joe."

A copy of The Diary of Joe Cook, First President of Mississippi Southern College is available in the McCain Library, call number F341.C66 D53 1900z.

Extent

7.20 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Joseph Anderson (Joe) Cook was born on November 16, 1862 in Artesia (Lowndes County), Mississippi. He was a pioneer of education in Mississippi, who provided college educations for all of his children at the school of their choice. This multi-faceted collection consists of materials that encompass the entire Cook Family, but the principal subject is Joseph Anderson (Joe) Cook, first president of Mississippi Normal College at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Arrangement

This collection consists of 12 boxes divided into five series: Series I: Joe Cook Series II: Cook Family Series III: Photographs Series IV: Books Series V: Memorabilia

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The bulk of the material was donated by Emily Cook Bickerstaff and her daughters, Mary Libby Payne and Emily Ann Raspilair, between 1983 and 1991. A videocassette was donated by the Teaching and Learning Resource Center of the University of Southern Mississippi in 1991, and a bound copy of The Diary of Joe Cook, First President of Mississippi Southern College was transferred from the Mississippiana Collection in McCain Library and Archives in 1992. The remainder of the collection was donated in 1993 by Dr. Joseph Cook, son of Everett Cook.

Existence and Location of Copies

For Digitized Materials from this collection, see: External Documents link at bottom of page.

Photograph Log

M209-1 Tomato Club 8 x 10, B and W, 1918 Tomato Club at Mississippi Normal College

M209-2 Stella McLaurin 4 ½ x 6 ½, B and W Stella McLaurin, a member of the first Mississippi Normal College Athletic Association, drawing water from a well. She was the student who suggested that the school’s colors should be black and gold.

M209-3 Stella McLaurin 4 ½ x 7, B and W Stella McLaurin pumping water from a hand pump with farm building in the background

M209-4 Joe Cook 3 x 4, B and W Joe Cook

M209-5 Joe Cook 2 ½ x 4, B and W Joe Cook (left) and T.P. Scott (right), standing in front of a building

M209-6 Joe Cook 3 ¾ x 5 ¼, B and W Joe Cook

M209-7 Joe Cook 4 x 5 ½, B and W Joe Cook

M209-8 Elizabeth Cook 3 ¾ x 5 ¾, B and W, 1916-1917 Elizabeth May (Libby) Cook (later Elizabeth Josephine Cook)

M209-9 Emily Ann Bickerstaff 2 x 3, B and W Emily Ann Bickerstaff (daughter of Emily Cook Bickerstaff) at 6 months of age, sitting on a small chair

M209-10 Emily Ann Bickerstaff 2 x 3, B and W Emily Ann Bickerstaff in a baby buggy

M209-11 Emily Ann Bickerstaff 2 x 3, B and W Emily Ann Bickerstaff as an infant, in a bathtub

M209-12 Emily Cook 2 x 3, B and W Emily Cook sitting on steps holding an umbrella

M209-13 Emily Cook 2 ½ x 4, B and W, 1920 Emily Cook holding what appears to be a diploma

M209-14 Albert Bledsoe Cook 3 1/2x x5 ½, B and W, 1918 Albert Bledsoe (A.B.) Cook in army uniform

M209-15 Joe Cook, Jr. 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, B and W Seven students at the Mississippi Normal College Practice School- the second student from the left is Joe Cook, Jr.

M209-16 Joe Cook, Jr. 3 ¾ x 5 ½, B and W, 1903 Joe Cook, Jr. at 2 years of age

M209-17 Joe Cook 6 ½ x 4, B and W Joe Cook in hospital ward bed

M209-18 Cook Women 8 x 10, B and W, 1923-1924 Photo Features (Elizabeth Dancey Stevens, Ruby (Mrs. Harris) Cook, Elizabeth Cook, Hazel (Mrs. Harvey) Cook, Ida Frances Cook, 2nd row Rachel (Mrs. A.B.) Cook, Emily Cook Bickerstaff, Bessie Cook Littleton, Lizzie Cook, Lucy Harvey Stevens, Ann Cook Spurlock, Martha Littleton

M209-19 Unidentified Baby 3 x 5, B and W

M209-20 Joe Cook and Family 8 x 10, B and W Photo Features (standing: Albert Bledsoe, Bessie, Joe, Jr., Ann, Harris, Emily, Everett, Harvey sitting: Mrs. Lizzie Cook, Elizabeth, Mr. Joe Cook)

M209-21 Cook Family Portrait 8 x 10, B and W, 1923-1924 Family Portrait including grandchildren (standing: Everett Cook, A.B. and Rachel Cook, Bessie and Jessie Littleton Jr, Jessie Littleton III, Harris and Ruby Cook, Kirby and Ann Spurlock, Reece and Emily Bickerstaff, Martha Littleton, Joe Cook Jr., Lucy and C.Z. Stevens with C.Z. Stevens Jr., front row: Lizzie Cook holding Harvey Littleton, Elizabeth Cook, J.A. Cook holding Joe Littleton, Ida Frances Cook, Elizabeth Dancey Stevens)

M209-22 Mississippi Normal College 8 x 10, B and W, 1920 Mississippi Normal College Football Team

M209-23 Mississippi Normal College 3 x 3, B and W, 1917-1918 Four girls dressed as “nurses” for student-faculty baseball game

M209-24 Mississippi Normal College 3 x 3, B and W, 1917-1918 Four girls dressed as “nurses” for student-faculty baseball game

M209-25 Mississippi Normal College 3 x 3, B and W, 1917-1918 Four girls dressed as “nurses” for student-faculty baseball game

M209-26 Mississippi Normal College 5 x 7, B and W, 1921 Mississippi Normal College Football Team

M209-27 Mississippi Normal College 5 x 7, B and W Mississippi Normal College Football Team

M209-28 Mississippi Normal College 8 x 10, B and W, 1916-1917 Student Body of the Demonstration School

M209-29 Elbert and Rose Bluett 3 ½ x 5, B and W, 1900-1908 Elbert and Rose Bluett at “Three Oaks Plantation”

M209-30 A.F. Fugitt 2 ¼ x 4, B and W, 1925 A.F. Fugitt, Band director at State Teachers College

M209-31 A.F. Fugitt 4 x 2 ½, B and W, 1925 A.F. Fugitt and friends in snow bank in Ithaca, New York

M209-32 A.F. Fugitt 2 x 3, B and W, 1925 A.F. Fugitt on Cornell University Campus

M209-33 Ithaca, New York 4 x 2/ ½, B and W, 1925 Snow in Ithaca, New York

M209-34 Ithaca, New York 4 x 2 ¼, B and W, 1925 Car “snowed under” in New York

M209-35 Polk and Adeline Bradley 3 ½ x 5 ¼, B and W Polk and Adeline Bradley, servants of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cook at Forreston in Lowndes County

M209-36 Joe Cook Jr. 10 x 16, Color Oversize Photo of Joe Cook

M209-37 Lizzie Harris Cook 16 x 20, B and W Artist’s Sketch, oversize photo. Joe Cook second wife

M209-38 Unidentified Young Woman in black dress with white frill neck 6 ½ x 9, Color Oversize Photo

M209-39 Joe Cook 11 x 14, Color, 1930 Oversize Photo

M209-40 Joe Cook 8 x 10, B and W Oversize Photo

M209-41 Masonic Club 15 x 21, B and W, 1922 1922 Masonic Club at Mississippi Normal College. Oversize Photo

M209-42 Cook Family 9 ½ x 6 ½, B and W, 1908 Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cook and seven of their children. Oversize

M209-43 Emily Cook 1 ½ x 2, Albumen, 1924-1925 Emily Cook teaching math at Tishomingo, MS High School- Proof sheet of 28 photos- 1 ½ x 2

M209-44 Mississippi Normal College 8 x 34, B and W, 1920 Student body of Mississippi Normal College. Oversize Photo

M209-45 Mary Elizabeth and Emily Ann Bickerstaff 8 x 10, B and W, 1933 Mary Elizabeth Bickerstaff (left) Emily Ann Bickerstaff (right)

M209-46 Emily Cook Bickerstaff 6 ½ x 4, B and W Emily Cook Bickerstaff serving on First Baptist Church of Gulfport MS Pastor Search Committee

M209-47 Emily Cook Bickerstaff 5 x 7, Color, 1980 Emily Cook Bickerstaff standing in front of Cook Library

M209-48 Hattiesburg High School 8 x 10, B and W, 1922 Hattiesburg High School class of 1922- Joe Cook Jr. was president

M209-49 Everett Cook 3 ½ x 5 ¼, B and W Everett Cook in christening gown

M209-50 James Henry and Lillian Cook 4 x 6, B and W James Henry Cook and Lillian Cook. Joe Cook’s brother and sister-in-law

M209-51 Unidentified Man 3 x 4, B and W Unidentified man holding two small children

M209-52 Mr. Selig 3 ¾ x 5 ¼, B and W Mr. Selig, owner of dry goods store in Columbus, MS

M209-53 Mrs. Selig 3 x 4 ¾, B and W Mrs. Selig, wife of owner of dry goods store in Columbus, MS

M209-54 Lizzie Harris Cook 9 ½ x 7, B and W Lizzie Harris Cook’s Family in front of their home in either Steens or Caledonia, MS

M209-55 Joe Cook 4 x 6, B and W, 1924

M209-56 Emily Cook 6 x 8, B and W, Nov. 2, 1909 Emily Cook prepared to present flowers to President William Howard Taft when he visited Columbus, MS (Photocopy- Original returned to Cook Family)

M209-57 Joe Cook 4 ½ x 7 ½, B and W Photo of Bust of Joseph Anderson Cook- profile. Clay sculpture done by MNC student, Maude Sherrod(?) It was placed in Joe Cook’s office and remained there until Cook left the college in 1928. Its fate after that is unknown

M209-58 Joe Cook 4 ½ x 7 ½, B and W Photo of bust of Joseph Anderson Cook-face forward. Clay sculpture done by MNC student, Maude Sherrod. It was placed in Joe Cook office and remained there until the Cooks left the college in 1928. Its fate after that is unknown.

M209-59 Frank Scott 8 x 10, B and W, 1937 Frank Scott-signed “Frank to Joe”

M209-60 Emily Bickerstaff 6 ½ x 4 ½, Color, Oct. 1965 Emily Bickerstaff’s Retirement Party

M209-61 Emily Bickerstaff 8 x 10, Color, 1973 Ole Miss Class of 1923- 50th Anniversary Reunion (Emily Bickerstaff is 3rd from right)

M209-62 Emily Bickerstaff 8 x 10, Color, 1983 Ole Miss Class of 1923 (Emily Bickerstaff, center)

M209-63 Emily Bickerstaff 8 x 10, B and W, 1960 Group of women in church- Emily Bickerstaff: front row, right

M209-64 Ashley and Juli Brady 3 ¼ x 4 ¼, Color Ashley and Juli Brady, ages 3 years; 2 ½ months.

M209-65 Elizabeth Cook Roberts Grandchild 3 ¼ x 5, Color, 1977 David, Juli, Beth and Ashley Brady

M209-66 Juli Brady 3 ¼ x 5, Color, 1979 Juli Brady, age 2- Easter 1979

M209-67 Ashley and Juli Brady 3 ¼ x 5, Color, 1979 Ashley and Juli Brady, Easter 1979

M209-68 Ashley and Juli Brady 3 ¼ x 4 ¾, Color, Dec. 1978 Ashley and Juli Brady- Christmas 1978

M209-69 Ashley Brady 3 ¼ x 5, Color, 1979 Ashley Brady in “dress-up clothes”

M209-70 Ashley and Juli Brady 3 ¼ x 5, Color, May 1979 Juli and Ashley Brady at dance recital

M209-71 Libby Roberts 3 ¼ x 4 ¾, Color, Aug. 1978 Libby Roberts with granddaughters, Juli and Ashley Brady

M209-72 Roberts Family 3 x 4 ½, B and W, 1949-1950 Cicero, Barbara, and Libby (Cook) Roberts

M209-73 Cook Women 3 x 3, Color, 1971 Emily Cook Bickerstaff, Irene (Mrs. Everett) Cook, and Ann Cook Spurlock seated on sofa

M209-74 Cook Men 2 ½ x 3 ½, Color, 1981 Harvey Cook, Roy Klages, and Cicero Roberts standing in front of a house

M209-75 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color, 1981 Roy Klages, Cicero and Libby Roberts, Mary Libby Bickerstaff Payne, Emily Bickerstaff, Harvey and Hazel Cook, Ann Cook Suprlock, in Columbus, MS

M209-76 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color, 1981 Libby Roberts, Ida Frances Cook Klages, and Emily Bickerstaff in Ann Cook Spurlock’s kitchen at Columbus, MS

M209-77 Cook Family 4 x 3, Color, 1980 Roy and Ida Frances Klages, Harvey and Hazel Cook, Mr. and Mrs. Everett Cook in Columbus, MS

M209-78 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color, 1981 Mary Libby Payne, Cicero and Libby Roberts, Emily Ann Raspilair, Emily Bickerstaff, Harvey and Hazel Cook, Ida Frances Klages and Ann Spurlock

M209-79 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color, 1981 Emily Bickerstaff and Ann Spurlock seated on a sofa

M209-80 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color, 1975 Mary Jo Cook and Emily Bickerstaff

M209-81 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color Ann Spurlock, Libby Roberts, and Emily Bickerstaff standing in front of a house

M209-82 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color Ann Spurlock, Hazel and Harvey Cook, Emily Bickerstaff, Libby and Cicero Roberts

M209-83 Cook Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color Emily Bickerstaff, Ann Spurlock, Libby Roberts, Hazel and Harvey Cook

M209-84 Littleton Family 3 ½ x 5, Color Joe and Barbara Littleton Family: Jack, Bill, Peg, Joe, Barbara, Nancy Jo, and David

M209-85 Littleton Family 3 ½ x 5, Color Jessie Littleton III Family

M209-86 Littleton Family 3 x 3, Color Jessie and Bessie Littleton standing next to a poinsettia plant

M209-87 Littleton Family 3 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color Martha Littleton and three of her children

M209-88 Ann Cook Spurlock 3 x 3, Color, 1970 Ann Cook Spurlock

M209-89 Spurlock Family 2 x 3, Color, 1970 Kirby L. Spurlock (Ann Cook Spurlock husband)

M209-90 Payne Family 2 ½ x 3 ½, Color, 1980 Mary Libby Payne and Reece Payne pouring a beverage at Christmas time

M209-91 Stevens Family 2 x 3, B and W Elizabeth Dancey Stevens and Family (Great Niece of Joe Cook)

M209-92 Parr Family 3 x 3, Color Mary Parr, Vandy Parr, Roy and Ida Frances Klages, and Larry Parr at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

M209-93 Cook Family 3 x3, Color, 1970 Mary Jo, A.B. and Vera Cook

M209-94 Cook Family 3 x 3, Color, 1970 A.B. and Vera Cook standing in front of a house

M209-95 A.B. Cook 3 ½ x 2 ¾, Color, 1991 A.B. Cook standing on front steps of Cook Library

M209-96 Cook Family 3 x 4 ½, B and W Irene Griffin Cook, Joe Griffin Cook (on horseback) and Everett E. Cook

M209-97 Cook Family 2 ¼ x 3 ¼, Color Irene and Everett Cook

M209-98 Wedding Day 3 x 3, Color, July 1968 Everett and Irene Cook, Joe and Norma Cook, with Norma’s parents on Joe and Norma’s wedding day

M209-99 Cook Family 2 x 3, Color Lois Cook, Billy Cook and William Harvey Cook Jr.

M209-100 Cook Family 3 x 4 ½, B and W Harvey and Hazel Cook, Everett and Irene Cook, Bessie Littleton, and Martha Littleton (partially cut off)

M209-101 Cook and Klages Family 3 x 3, Color, May 1971 Harvey and Hazel Cook; Ida Frances and Roy Klages; Vandy, Mary and Larry Klages (Seated)

M209-102 Emily Cook Bickerstaff 6 ½ x 4 ½, B and W W.M.U. (Women’s Missionary Union) group in Eureka Springs, Arkansas- Emily Cook Bickerstaff is seventh from left, front row

M209-103 Ostrich Farm 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, Color, 1911 Postcard: Ostrich Farm at Jacksonville, Florida

M209-104 Christ Church 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, Color, 1910 Postcard: Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia

M209-105 Alligator Farm 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, Color, 1911 Postcard: An Alligator Farm in Florida

M209-106 Benachi Avenue 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, B and W, 1914 Postcard: Benachi Avenue, Biloxi, Mississippi

M209-107 Howard Avenue 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, Color, 1911 Postcard: Howard Avenue, Biloxi, Mississippi

M209-108 Joe Cook Library 4 x 6, Color, 1979 Postcard: Joe Cook Library, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Ms

M209-109 Hotel De Montross 3 ¼ x 5 ¼, Color, 1914 Postcard: Hotel De Montross, Biloxi, Ms

M209-110 Unidentified Woman in her 60’s or 70’s, Probably Lizzie Harris Cook 6 x 8, B and W

M209-111 Unidentified 15 month Old Child, Facing Forward 4 x 5 ½, B and W

M209-112 Unidentified 15 Month Old Child, Looking Downward 4 x 5 ½, B and W

M209-113 Five Men Holding Plaques 8 x 10, Color, 1978 Everett Cook is holding a plaque presented to him by Coast Federal Saving and Loan in Appreciation of his leadership

M209-114 Group of Men Standing in Front of Coast Federal Saving and Loan 8 x 10, Color, 1978

M209-115 Group of Men in Front of Coast Federal Savings 8 x 10, B and W, 1974

M209-116 Joseph Anderson Cook 10 x 14, B and W, 1928 Oversize Photograph

M209-117 Harrison County Bar Association State of Mississippi 16 x 20, B and W, 1965 Oversize Photograph

M209-118 Everett E. Cook 16 x 20, Color, 1961 Oversize pastel of Everett Cook, done by his wife, Irene Griffin Cook

M209-119 Hattiesburg High School Class of 1925 16 x 20, 1925 Oversize photo Everett Cook was a member of this class

M209-120 Forrest County Club of the State Teachers College 4 x 10, Yearbook, 1924 Joe Cook, Jr. is Second from right, row 2

M209-121 Elizabeth Cook 5 x 7, B and W, late 1800 Elizabeth Cook was the step-grandmother of Joseph Anderson Cook’s Children

M209-122 Bessie Cook 5 x 7, B and W, 1890

M209-123 Bessie Cook 5 x 7, B and W, 1895 Photographer: Feldotto

M209-124 Joe Cook and Bessie Cook 8 x 10, B and W, 1938-1939

M209-125 Children of Joseph Anderson Cook 8 x 10, B and W, 1960’s Seven of Joseph Anderson Cook’s Children posed on the steps of Cook Memorial Library Photo Features: (Harvey Cook, Albert Bledsoe Cook, Everett Cook, Bessie Cook Littleton, Libby Cook Roberts, Emily Cook Bickerstaff, Ann Cook