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Canfield man honored for community service
By DAN POMPILI
TheNewsOutlet.org
CANFIELD
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Tom Cook poses for a portrait with his 2010 Ellis Island Medal of Honor outside his office at B&T Express in North Lima.
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Tom Cook holds his 2010 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
On May 8, a Saturday, Thomas J. Cook missed Mass at church, something he’d done only a handful of times in 35 years.
He had a good excuse.
That day Cook, 57, stood at Ellis Island with 105 other distinguished American citizens, as a recipient of the 2010 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
The award was established in 1986 by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation.
The NECO website says the award is intended for “American citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service. People who preserve and celebrate the history, traditions and values of his/her ancestry and who dedicate themselves to creating a better world for us all.”
Other past recipients include Donald Trump, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, George Steinbrenner and six U.S. presidents.
This year, Cook shared words at the banquet with Major League Baseball great Mike Piazza and took pictures with actor Robert Loggia. All of them received the award.
Cook was nominated for the award by his company’s attorney, Daniel McCarthy of Cleveland, a past award recipient.
“He fits the criteria of the all-American boy that people look to,” McCarthy said.
“Only poor people came through [Ellis Island], and look what wonderful things they’ve done.”
Cook is the chief financial officer for B&T Express, a trucking company in North Lima. He formed the company in 1982 with his friend, Breen O’Malley, B&T’s president. The business boasts 25 branches nationally, shipping steel and plastic products across the country.
His modest second-floor office more closely resembles that of a Catholic school principal than a shipping magnate. A large portrait of the Virgin Mary right behind his desk shares the room with images of Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor and the sainted Padre Pio. A cross and rosary beads adorn his desk.
Cook has been attending Mass every morning for 35 years.
He began attending St. Christine Church on Youngtown’s West Side. When that church canceled its early-morning Masses, he switched to a small Franciscan Friars’ shrine on Belle Vista Avenue, Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted.
The small shrine is not part of the Catholic Diocese. Though it abides by diocesan rules, it receives no aid.
Cook immediately noticed the small church needed painting and a new parking lot. He was more than willing to help.
Cook has donated to his church over the years. He also is a benefactor of the arts scene at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
“Everything I do is anonymous,” Cook said, never disclosing an amount. Though he humbly admitted sending a new dozen roses for placement under the statue of the Madonna at St. Christine’s every Friday.
“People don’t know what he does,” said his father, Joseph Cook, 82. “You can probably include me in that. We never know what he’s going to do until it’s all over.”
Cook’s father, who retired from Sherwin Williams in 1986 and from United Can Co. in 1990, works for his son.
“He’s the assistant to the CFO,” O’Malley said.
Cook’s grandfather came through Ellis Island in 1913, where the family name was changed from the Italian Cuccaro to the Americanized Cook. He worked as a foreman for Petroleum Iron Works.
Cook is a Hubbard native and a 1972 graduate of Ursuline High School. He went to college at Youngstown State University “for all of an hour“ he said, laughing. From 1972 until 1978, he worked as a caddy on a golf course. He began working in the trucking industry in 1978, where he met O’Malley.
“I loved the challenge in transport. There are a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “At Ursuline, I was taught that knowledge is power. … never stop learning. My family taught me that hard work leads to success. All I’ve ever known is hard work.”
Cook also says he draws much of his humility from his faith.
Cook lives in Canfield with his wife, Lisa, and his daughters, Alicia and Jenna. Alicia is a 2010 YSU graduate and Jenna is a 2010 Canfield High School grad. Cook’s mother, Martha, teaches English composition part time at YSU.
Cook is drafting a letter to Marlo Thomas, daughter of actor Danny Thomas who founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. A branch of the foundation previously was operating in the Mahoning Valley under the direction of Elizabeth Bashara. The branch ceased operation when Bashara died. Cook now hopes to pick up where she left off.
“It’s an outstanding honor for a person who really deserves it,” O’Malley said of Cook. “He’s so devoted to his church, and for someone who just gives and gives all his life, it’s good to see he’s recognized.”
Cook joins several Valley natives who’ve also received the honor. Last year Father Thomas O’Reilly received it, nominated by Anthony Lariccia of Boardman, another honoree. Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. won the award in 1986. Other recipients include Judges Peter C. Economus, John J. Leskovyansky and Thomas D. Lambros.
The NewsOutlet is a joint media venture by student and professional journalists and is a collaboration of Youngstown State University, WYSU radio and The Vindicator.