2020 Hall of Fame Inductee William Earl Cook, Sr.
2020 Festus R-VI Hall of Fame Recipient
William Earl Cook, Sr.
Born August 14, 1939 to Allen and Mildred Cook, William Earl Cook, Sr, or Earl as everyone called him, grew to be a true trailblazer in the Festus community. Earl was a member of the first class of African American students to come to Festus High School from the all-black Douglass School. He became the first African American to play basketball for Festus, where he earned a Varsity letter. In 1957, Earl graduated from Festus High School, the first integrated class in the school’s history. He later became the first African American mayor in Festus.
After graduation, Earl enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He spent the next three years serving his country from locations around the globe, including some time in the Philippines. In May of 1960, Earl left the Marines, where he had attained the rank of Corporal.
Earl settled down in his hometown of Festus, got married and had two children. But heartache soon followed. A daughter, Diane, died at just 18 months, and just six years after getting married, Earl’s wife, Kathleen, also passed away. He later remarried and had two more children. He started working at Dow Chemical in Pevely, where he stayed for 35 years.
In the 1990’s, Earl began to show an interest in politics. At work he became a member of Dow’s Eastern Political Action Committee. He traveled from division to division to see how well Dow integrated its employees throughout the system. At home, his friend, Adam McCullough, turned him on to city politics. In 2003, he became Festus City Councilman for Ward One. He held that position until he was appointed mayor, to fill the position vacated by resignation. On January 20, 2009, the date Barack Obama became the first black United States president, Earl became not only the first black mayor in Festus history, but also the first black mayor in Jefferson County. He held the position for 15 months.
Earl worked hard for the community as well. He volunteered at his church, First United Methodist and he served on a number of community boards, including, Giving Something Back to the Community, the Cultural Diversity Committee, and the Jefferson County Water District. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason.
While serving the community through the Giving Something Back to the Community organization, Earl met and later married Rhonda Abbas. The couple travelled and worked together, doing what they loved… giving back to the community.
Family always came first for Earl, but his love of friends and Festus were a close second. Earl learned of his selection for the Festus R-VI Hall of Fame, just weeks before his death on March 27, 2020. Always humble, he acknowledged it “was a great honor.” But it is the honor of the Festus R-VI School District to make him the 27th inductee into the Festus R-VI Hall of Fame. William Earl Cook, Sr. was more than a Festus trailblazer, he was a role model for all to emulate.