Lodwrick ("Lod") Monroe Cook (June 17, 1928 in
Castor, Louisiana
Castor is a village (Louisiana), village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census but increased 23% to 258 in 2010. The median age was ...
; - September 28, 2020) was an American businessman and philanthropist.
Background and education
Cook was raised in
Grand Cane, Louisiana
Grand Cane is a village in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 242 at the 2010 census, up from 191 in 2000. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the hometown of women's bask ...
. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
in 1950 and was also a member of the Sigma Chi Gamma Iota Chapter there. After service in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, Cook returned to LSU and earned a second degree in petroleum engineering in 1955. He later received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, prov ...
which he attended in the evenings. Louisiana State University,
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
,
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University (CLU, Cal Lutheran, or Cal Lu) is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 ...
, and St. Augustine's College have awarded Cook honorary degrees for charitable work and contributions. Cook is the father of five children (all adults) and has ten grandchildren. He lives in
Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. His wife, Carole Diane Cook, died in 2010.
Memberships
Cook was a member of the LSU Alumni Association's board of directors, an organization he had actively worked with and contributed to financially for many years. Through direct personal donations as well as his own fundraising efforts, Cook donated the money used by LSU for construction of an alumni center. The , 128-room building was opened in a ceremony led by former president
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
and named the in honor of Cook's work. In addition to LSU, Cook is a member of the chancellor's court of benefactors for
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in England and he is a Life Regent of Pepperdine University. He previously served on the board of advisors of the
Carter Center of Emory University.
Cook is a trustee of the
George Bush Presidential Library
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States (1989–1993), and his wife Barbara Bush. Located on a site on the west campus of T ...
Foundation and a director of the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the larg ...
. His financial contributions and work with the
Library Foundation of Los Angeles led to the dedication of the Lodwrick Cook Rotunda, an elegant marble rotunda within the library's downtown Los Angeles location.
In 1992, Cook received the Golden Plate Award and inducted into the
American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...
.
In November 1994, upon appointment by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
, Cook was invested by the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
with the Insignia of Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his contribution to Anglo-American relations and support for philanthropic projects around the world.
Cook was inducted into the
Junior Achievement
JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning ...
U.S. Business Hall of Fame
The Global Business Hall of Fame, powered by JA Worldwide, was established by Junior Achievement in 1975 as the U.S. Business Hall of Fame, the result of an idea by Willard F. Rockwell, Jr. (former chairman and CEO of Rockwell International) and ...
in 2000.
Cook is also a member of
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...
in Augusta, Georgia.
Employment
Beginning in 1956, Cook was employed with
Atlantic Richfield Company
ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...
(ARCO), the seventh largest oil company in the United States. Cook was hired as an engineer trainee, but went on to hold several management positions in labor relations, refining, marketing and planning, rising to become a vice president of the company in 1970. After heading up ARCO's West Coast refining marketing operations, he chaired the eight-company Owners’ Committee building the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. When the multi-million dollar pump station burned, Cook proposed a solution of injecting a drag reducing agent to speed the flow, a success when implemented and resulting in the savings several hundreds of millions of dollars.
In January 1986, he became ARCO's chairman and CEO, succeeding the legendary Robert O. Anderson. Under Cook's leadership, the new ARCO was hailed as the best-managed U.S. company, with profit margins approached by few and returns on equity equaled by none. He remained in his position for nine years until, in June, 1995, he retired, becoming Chairman Emeritus.
In September, 1997, Cook became Vice Chairman and Managing Director of
Pacific Capital Group, a venture capital, merchant banking group founded by
Gary Winnick
Gary Winnick is an American financier best known for founding and being Chairman of Global Crossing between 1997 and 2002, when it declared bankruptcy.
As of 2015, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Winnick & Company, a Los Ange ...
. The following year, in April, 1998, Cook was installed by Winnick as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Global Crossing
Global Crossing was a telecommunications company that provided computer networking services and operated a tier 1 carrier. It maintained a large backbone network and offered peering, virtual private networks, leased lines, audio and video confer ...
, a position Cook held until he stepped down in 2002 during the company's bankruptcy proceedings. Cook also served as chairman of
Global Marine Systems
Global Marine Group is a British-headquartered specialist provider of installation, maintenance and repairs of submarine communications cable for the telecommunications, oil & gas and deep sea research industries. To this end, they operate their ...
beginning in 1999 and
Asia Global Crossing
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
in 2000.
In addition to ARCO and Global Crossing, Cook has served on the board of directors for
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ot ...
(until 1995),
Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke, Inc., is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture, including becoming, through mergers with the modern Dole F ...
, the
Kyle Foundation and
Litex, Inc. He is also a member of the advisory committee of
Aurora Capital Partners.
Cook remains Vice Chairman of Pacific Capital Group and maintains an office at their Los Angeles, California location.
References
External links
Hall of Distinction Class of 1985-1986
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Lodwrick
American energy industry businesspeople
Fellows of Keble College, Oxford
Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
2020 deaths
1928 births
ARCO