“ Thank you Mr. Cook for having a vision and creating your masterpiece we call WESTEC. For displaying integrity, your talent, compassion, and also for being an outstanding role model for my son Kevin for ten years. For the enormous contributions you made to him being an articulate, confident well mannered young man who now has another talent. For teaching him everything from the Twinkle variations to Bach Concerto for Two Violins, and everything in between. Thanks for sharing some of your life stories with us that at times have been quite inspiring. For sharing your brilliant Louisville Orchestra with us and using your influence to actually allow our children the opportunity to perform with them on numerous occasions. Also thanks for the tickets provided us to enjoy seeing you perform with the Louisville Orchestra. Thanks for arranging and implementing our trip to Washington DC in 2004. For introducing our children to the Vice President of Georgetown University who offered several of our Young Masters scholarships upon completion of WESTEC; For arranging for us to tour the famous Kennedy Center, and all other historic landmarks in Washington, DC. For introducing our children to the college campus atmosphere as you enrolled our children in the Suzuki Summer Institutes at the university of Louisville. For all the Saturdays you spent in the studio with our children conducting group lessons, rehearsals, or make-up lessons when he could have been, and sometimes should have been resting. To encourage our children and building their confidence as we have performed at such venues as the University of Louisville, Brown Theatre, Kentucky Center for the Arts, Louisville Gardens, Muhammad Ali Center and more”.

— Past Parent

“In addition to tutoring students before and after lessons he routinely picked up our children and transported them to and from lessons. Mr. Cook would not ever allow one of his pupils miss lessons for a lack of transportation. Additionally, Mr. Cook has over the years has taken his music students to Uof L football games. Often students who's Father or male role models were not present in their lives, Mr. Cook would fill in and mentor when possible. When my son started wrestling in high school, Mr. Cook would come and support him and even brought beginning violin students with him to show them that you could be athletic as well as musically talented. Mr. Cook attended my son’s wrestling matches and supported him all four years. As time passed, and our talents improved, Mr. Cook had our children playing in the first Memorial Concert for Dr. Suzuki, ten Showcase appearances, many summer Suzuki Institutes at U of L, four appearances on local television, a performance in Washington D. C; five appearances with the Louisville Orchestra; one performance with the Louisville Youth Orchestra”.

— Past parent