Los Angeles
County
Biographies
ALFRED EUGENE COOK
Alfred
Eugene Cook is a contractor who has been in business for himself since 1936;
for the past twenty-three years he has been a Rosemead resident; he is married
and is the father of two sons and a daughter.
These are the surface facts, but in each of his three areas of
activity—work, community, and family—Mr. Cook does more than these surface
facts would indicate. In addition to his
extensive contracting, both in cement work and general building, he is the
owner of A. E. Cook Equipment Rentals in South El Monte; he took an active part
in the incorporation of Rosemead, served as one of its first five city
councilmen, and is a past president of its coordinating council; he is training
his sons in his business, but more important, any family that spends its
leisure time together by choice, as the Cook’s do, has a very fine relationship
indeed.
A
native Californian, Al Cook was born in Los Angeles on July 5, 1912. With his parents, Alfred Eugene Cook, from
Florida, and Frankie O. (Walker) Cook, from Mississippi, he later moved to
Alhambra where he attended Park School and graduated from Alhambra High School.
In
1936 Mr. Cook was licensed by the state as a cement contractor and went into
business for himself. Since receiving
his general contracting license in 1950, he has also continued in commercial
cement work, his specialty being championship tournament tennis courts. He built South El Monte’s first commercial
multiple units building in 1946, and also builds schools, homes, and other
types of structures. His A. E. Cook
Equipment Rentals at 2010 Mountain View Road in South El Monte rents out
general building equipment such as compressors, concrete mixers, and tractors,
also handling sales and service of such items.
A
Rotarian, Al Cook has twice served as president of the Rosemead Rotary Club and
is a charter member. He is also a member
and presently exalted ruler of the El Monte Elks Club. His religious affiliation is with the
Rosemead Community Methodist Church.
After
their marriage in Yuma, Arizona, on December 10, 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Cook, the
former Marion Rhoda Busch of Wyandotte, Michigan, took up residence in Rosemead
where Mrs. Cook was very active for fourteen years in the Parent-Teachers’ Associations
of Marshall and Muscatel Schools, holding various offices. She has also been very active in work with
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and is a former second vice president, in 1961, of
the Emblem Club for wives of the Elks.
She is the embodiment of the “good sport” and enjoys it. She accompanies her husband in his favorite
athletic activities—they have both won Elks Club trophies, together in golf and
separately in bowling. Mrs. Cook almost
always goes with her husband on his hunting trips to Wyoming, Utah, or northern
California in search of elk, moose, and antelope, and has even been such a good
sport as to learn to shoot, though she is not an instinctive huntress; she has
two antelope to her credit. The Cook’s
sons love to hunt and the whole family enjoys fishing and boating. They have taken their boat to the Colorado
River, to Ensenada for fishing, and do some local ocean fishing.
The
Cook’s eldest son, William Eugene, was born on October 26, 1940, is a graduate
of Rosemead High School and works with his father in the construction
business. Their daughter, Mrs. Dominic
(Marion Joyce) Nasca, was born on February 27, 1942,
is also a graduate of Rosemead High School where she was a cheerleader, and at
fourteen was worthy advisor to girls with a Masonic affiliation. She now lives in Highland Park with her
husband. The younger son, James Edward,
was born on June 9, 1945, and is a student at Rosemead High School.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 647-649, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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