The late Earl Cook, a former Festus mayor and longtime community supporter, will be inducted into the Festus R-6 School District Hall of Fame during the high school’s homecoming celebration this weekend.
The induction ceremony, which is free and open to the public, is set for 5:45 p.m. Friday in the school’s foyer, 501 Westwind Drive.
The Festus Board of Education also will present a proclamation in Cook’s honor at 6:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium off Sunshine Drive prior to the Tiger homecoming football game against Pacific, which will start at 7 p.m.
Cook actually was named to the school district’s hall of fame in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the McCullough-Douglass Track Meet in March 2020, during which the induction ceremony originally was scheduled.
Cook is the 27th member of the district’s hall of fame.
Carneysha Mendoza, a 1998 Festus High grad, will be the 28th member.
Mendoza is a U.S. Capitol Police captain, and her induction ceremony is set to be held during the Festus-Hillsboro boys basketball game on Feb. 4, 2022.
More details about her induction will be released in early 2022, district officials said.
Cook
Cook died March 27, 2020, at the age of 80, and a month before his death, he attended that year’s Cultural Diversity Luncheon and learned he was to be inducted into the hall of fame.
His wife, Rhonda Abbas-Cook, said he was proud to receive the recognition.
“It was amazing to watch his face. I have it on video,” she said. “It was priceless. He was surprised and honored.”
She said her husband deserves the accolades.
“Earl was an honest and very loyal man,” Abbas-Cook said. “He was a humble man. His whole life, he was drawn to whatever he thought was best for the community.
“Everybody who knew Earl, loved Earl. He’s dearly missed in my life.”
Abbas-Cook said she and other Cook family members will attend the activities honoring her husband.
Festus Superintendent Link Luttrell said Cook is a worthy addition to the district hall of fame.
“Mr. Cook definitely epitomizes every characteristic the hall of fame aspires to honor,” he said. “The three main criteria the hall of fame committee wants people to exemplify are: service, achievement and character. Earl served our entire community for decades. He was definitely someone others should strive to emulate.”
Cook was a member of several civic and charitable organizations, including the Festus Tourism Commission, the Cultural Diversity Committee and the Giving Something Back to the Community organization. He served in the Marines.
According to information provided by the district, Cook was a member of the first class from the old Douglass Cooperative High School to integrate into Festus Schools, and he graduated from Festus High in 1957, the first year an integrated class graduated from the school.
Elected to the Festus City Council in 2003 representing Ward 1, he served on the council until he was appointed the city’s mayor in January 2009 after Gene Doyle resigned. He served as mayor until April 2010.
Festus plans traditional homecoming
Festus High School will hold a variety of homecoming activities Friday and Saturday, after calling off most of the celebration in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to return to as close to traditional as possible,” said Cletus Pippin III, the student body president. “We’re going to have the dance Saturday night in the gym. The homecoming parade will be back. We’re having the community chili supper.”
Pippin said he believes Festus High students are eager to participate in the homecoming events.
“There’s a lot of excitement in the building,” he said. “There are many people in the building who’ve never experienced traditional homecoming, the freshmen and sophomores. We’re trying to do our best to put on an enjoyable event for (the students).”
The following events will be held Friday and are open to the public:
■ 1 p.m. – The homecoming parade begins at the intersection of St. Mary’s Lane and Westwind Drive and then turns right onto Mid-Meadow Lane, left on Pryor Drive, running between Festus Elementary and Tiger Stadium, and then it turns right on Sunshine Drive, left on Main Street, and ends at Brierton Lane.
■ 4:30-6:30 p.m. – Chili supper sponsored by the National Honor Society in the Festus High School cafeteria. The dinner costs $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger.
■ 5:45 p.m. – Festus High Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring the late Earl Cook in the Festus High School foyer. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for students.
■ 6:30 p.m. – Festus R-6 Board of Education proclamation in honor of Cook at Tiger Stadium.
■ 7 p.m. – Homecoming football game against the Pacific Indians. During halftime, the homecoming king and queen will be crowned.
The homecoming court consists of freshmen Amelia Brummer, Vivian Glaze, Ella Shoopman, Hunter Bates, Calvin Ellis and Brady Nolen; sophomores Lainey Coplin, Keaton Rubottom, Jeannie Thornborrow, Bryson Rhine, Landon Yates and Trenton Young; and juniors Mackenzie Fish, Marli McHawes, Crystal Nguyen, Landon Bradshaw, Armand Branch and Tate Riney.
Senior queen candidates are Kylie Kempfer, Abigail Marr, Molly McDaniel and McKenna Rhine. Senior king candidates are Cletus Pippin III, Anthony Pittman, Kaian Roberts-Day and Peyton Willis.