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Gayle Cook (née Karch, born March 1, 1934) is an American businesswoman who in 1963 co-founded the Cook Group, a medical equipment manufacturing company, with her husband William Cook.[1][2] In 2014, her net worth was estimated at US$5.8 billion.[3]
Gayle Cook | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gayle Karch March 1, 1934 Evansville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Education | Indiana University |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Carl Cook |
Gayle Karch[4] was born on March 1, 1934, in Evansville, Indiana, the daughter of Arthur and Thelma Karch.[5] She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts.[6]
In 1963, she and her husband William Cook co-founded the Cook Group, a medical equipment manufacturer.[7][8] As of 2013[update], she still served on the company's board of directors.[2]
According to Forbes, she had a net worth of $5.8 billion in 2014,[7] up from $5.2 billion in 2013, placing her at #85 on the Forbes 400 for the year.[2]
Cook has made charitable contributions to her alma mater, Indiana University, and serves on the board of the Indiana University Foundation.[6] She received the Gertrude Rich Award in 1983 an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1993, both from Indiana University.[6]
She and her husband have funded the restoration of many historic buildings, mainly in southern Indiana, including 40 that appear on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] She is a co-founder of the Monroe County Historical Society Museum, a member of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and a Landmark member of The Nature Conservancy.[6]
Gayle Cook was married to William Cook from 1957 until his death in 2011.[9] Their son, Carl Cook, succeeded William as CEO upon the latter's death.[10] She also has a granddaughter.[4] She has coauthored two books on local landmarks, A Guide to Southern Indiana (1972, with William Cook) and Monroe County in Focus (1990, with Diana Hawes and Will Counts).[6]
- A Guide to Southern Indiana (with William Cook, Owen Litho Service, 1972).
- Monroe County in Focus: Portrait of an Indiana County (with Diana Hawes and Will Counts, Discovery Press, 1990).
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