A lifetime of art to be presented in Robert E. Wilson Gallery
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, September 18, 2003
Huntington, Ind. " The Robert E. Wilson Gallery in the Merillat Centre for the Arts at Huntington College is pleased to present Marjorie Cook Retrospective, a collection of paintings by the late Marjorie Cook that were created throughout her lifetime. The exhibit will be on display from October 1-23, 2003. Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and before all Merillat Centre for the Arts events. An artists' reception and gallery talk by Cook's daughter, Diana Smith, is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The public is cordially invited to attend.
Cook, a close friend of Huntington College, spent time painting many scenes of Huntington landscapes and architecture.
Mom loved her art and painted as a hobby, said Smith. She made drawings of the [United Brethren] bishops for a publishing house and a portrait of Professor Loew, which hung in the Loew Library at Huntington College. One of her paintings hung on the wall of Congressman Ed Roush's office while he was in Washington, D.C.
Marjorie Christine (Wood) Cook was born on Decmeber 1, 1911, in Randolph County, Ind., near Muncie. Her parents were Ralph Wood and Roxy (Kerns) Wood, who both taught at Huntington College. Marjorie Cook graduated from Huntington High School and attended Huntington College during the depression, graduating in 1933.
Because my grandfather taught and the College could not afford to pay him at the time, part of his pay' was letting his children go to college, explained Smith.
On July 17, 1936, Cook married her husband, Harold, whose father was pastor of College Park United Brethren Church. They lived in College Park throughout their married life until they moved to Nappanee, Ind., in 1997. Marjorie Cook was active in the church and in the Huntington College Auxiliary. The Cook's had two children.
Marjorie Cook passed away on March 1, 2003. Her husband, daughter, 11 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren survive.
For further information on the Robert E. Wilson Gallery, contact Rebecca Coffman at (260) 359-4272.
