The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Jim and Doris Cook, Raritan, were selected as the recipients of the Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award by the Illinois Association of Museums (IAM).
The Cooks received the award Friday evening at the IAM Annual Awards Banquet held in Rockford.
The award was presented in recognition of the 25 years of service to the Henderson County Museum and the Henderson County Historical Society.
The Henderson County Historical Society Museum received a Silver Anniversary Award.
Silver service awards were also awarded to John Allaman, Kirkwood; Art Kane, Raritan; Mildred Anderson, Strong-hurst; the Cooks; and Rosalie Melvin, Oquawka.
Raymond and Avis Hutchins, Roseville, received Silver Awards for their work with the Warren County Historical Society.
Two of Henderson County's most public citizens certainly deserve the Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award, for all they have given to the area and especially to the museum complex located in Raritan Illinois. Ú
Mr. James Cook in partnership with his wife Doris have served as volunteer curators of the museum since its inception.
They have watched it grow from the old grade school building to its present four building status.
When the Henderson County Museum was established in 1976 in Raritan, Mr. Cook worked on the acquisition committee to acquire items for the Museum.
In the next few years he volunteered his services in carpentry, painting, arranging displays, researching, and cataloguing to help get the museum in place.
Also, Mr. Cook has made many of the displays including a replica of the Allaman Covered Bridge.
The Cooks volunteer efforts also included working with CETA, JTPA providing young people with jobs for several summers. Although the Cooks are very modest about publicity and "tooting there own horns," we did find some news articles to include in support of the nomination concerning the Cooks accomplishments of the historical society and museum.
In 1986 and Ø 1987, Mr. Cook worked with Dr. Robert Sutton, Western Illinois University Professor of History, and a Historical Society committee in putting together the pictorial sections of the Henderson County History Book "Rivers, Railroads, and Roads."
The Historical Society acquired the buildings north of the museum in the early 1990's.
Then in 1995 a tornado damaged most of the museum buildings and Mr. Cook worked untiringly to restore order.
Within the next 2 years through grants and donations an agricultural building was built.
The Illinois Association of Museums may have particular interest in the most recent building acquired in 1998-the old Graham Country School.
In the late 1980's the structure was moved from its original site on Route 94 two miles south of the Biggsville Junction to the Henderson County Fairgrounds.
There it sat unattended until September 1997, when thanks to the Twomey Company it was moved again. This time to its present location in Raritan.
Th Ñe building, having sat empty since the early 40's had become nearly derelict inside. The outside remained in surprisingly good condition.
Mr. and Mrs. Cook, who were already acting as volunteer curators of the museum became interested in the schoolhouse and began the arduous process of restoring the interior.
The work began with the replacing of the old tin ceiling, which had suffered the most damage. Mr. Cook was able to persuade a professional artist to volunteer his expertise for this very exacting work.
The ceiling done Mr. and Mrs. Cook thoroughly cleaned and painted the interior and polished the original windows.
Restoration included electrifying the building and installing the original light fixtures from the Raritan Opera House.
While this renovation was in process, the Henderson County Retired Teachers Association had been persuaded to oversee the furnishing of the school room.
A committee volunteered to secure desks, books, and teaching tools o Ûf the one-room school era.
These people scoured the community for appropriate equipment. Many items were generously donated by people who nostalgically recalled their days in the one-room school.
Jim and Doris Cook assumed the responsibility for overseeing this schoolhouse in addition to the other three buildings.
Mr. Cook installed the students' desks on runners for a row of seats to be moved at one time. He also found many other uses for his handy man skills and kept everything in repair and ship shape.
Mrs. Cook lent her domestic talents to keep the school spic and span.
The couple also makes appointments for groups (women, senior citizens, schools) who want to visit the school outside of regular holiday hours either for remembrance or educating younger children.
Doris and Jim Cook have also concerned themselves with exterior props.
They secured one privy (although most rural schools had two) and a pump, which Mrs. Cook readily decorated with hollyhocks.
She also planted a garden which included antique crops namely spelt-tricitale (wheat), crimson clover (Strawberry), as well as traditional vegetables.
In addition, the Cooks help with many tours and planning programs.
The two have coordinated many programs for the opening of the museum in the Spring including Memorial Day celebrations and out door church services with St. Pat's Catholic Church, Raritan Baptist Church, and Raritan Reformed Church taking part.
Most recently the One-room School reunion was organized in conjunction with the Illinois Family Heritage Days.
Considering all that these people have done , and are continuing to do, Mr. and Mrs. Cook surely deserve some recognition.
It is easy to see why the Henderson County Retired Teachers, the Henderson County Historical Society, the Henderson-Warren Tourism Council, the people in the community and all those who wrote letters of support feel that Jim and Doris should receive this Volunteer Achievement Award.