Mizzou Alumna Honored by Griffiths
Mizzou alumna Bekki Cook, far left, was recently honored at the Griffiths Spring Conference and presented with the 2008 Spirit of Martha Award. Created in 2006, the award honors a Mizzou alumna or faculty member who has distinguished herself in her chosen field as well as exemplified the spirit of leadership, particularly in the furtherance of women. Last year, the inaugural award was presented to Dr. Pam Benoit, Dean of Graduate Studies at Mizzou and one of the Society’s founding members.
Like the organization, the award bears the name of an inspirational Mizzou alumna, Martha Wright Griffiths. Griffiths was a trailblazer for women’s rights, and this year’s award was presented to another inspirational woman who is also a trailblazer in her own right.
Cook is a lifelong Missourian who grew up in the bootheel of the state. She received two degrees from Mizzou - a bachelor’s degree in political science and law degree. After graduating from MU, Cook returned home, where she practiced law.
In 1990, Cook was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor John Ashcroft then reappointed by his successor, Governor Mel Carnahan. In 1994, Governor Carnahan appointed Cook to the position of Secretary of State after the impeachment of Judi Moriarty. Cook quickly pledged to bring “dignity, confidence, and professionalism” to the position, and she did so with grace. Cook was reelected in 1996, making her the first Cape Girardeau County native to be elected to a state-wide office in Missouri in more than a century.
Cook was nominated by the Southeast Missouri Black & Gold Alumni Chapter. Her nominators all described Cook’s passion for education and spirit of service to the community and University of Missouri. John Lichtenegger, a former member of the Board of Curators and lifelong friend of Cook, stated, “From the time Bekki was a student at Mizzou until the present day, she has had a passion for education. Perhaps no one, more than Bekki, is as knowledgeable concerning the problems and potential solutions for enhancing elementary and secondary education.”
An ambassador for Mizzou, Cook has long been a member of the Law Society and Jefferson Club. She is also involved with the Library Foundation and Law School Foundation.
Cook has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the Henry S. Geyer Award for Public Service, MU Faculty Alumni Award, St. Louis Daily Record Citizenship Award for Service to the People of Missouri, and the Southeast Missouri State University Distinguished Service Award.
Since her retirement from elective politics, Cook has reopened her law practice in Cape Girardeau. In addition to practicing law, she also serves on the Southern Growth Policies Board and the Commission on the Future of Higher Education.
Cook and her husband John, also an MU alumnus, have two grown children - Morgan and Hunter - who also attended the University of Missouri.
Another one of her nominators, Dale Gerecke, stated, “Bekki’s career in public service and in the private sector have brought honor and distinction to herself and to her university.”