Ann Turner Cook
Encyclopedia
Ann Turner Cook is an American
mystery
novelist, who was the model for the familiar Gerber Baby
artwork seen on baby-food packages of the Gerber Products Company
.
, who drew the comic strip Captain Easy
for decades. Their neighbor was the artist Dorothy Hope Smith, who did a charcoal drawing of Ann when she was five months old. In 1928, when Gerber announced it was looking for baby images for its upcoming line of baby food, Smith's drawing was submitted and subsequently chosen. It was trademarked in 1931. The drawing of Ann Turner Cook has been used on all Gerber baby food packaging since.
Cook attended the University of South Florida
and other post-secondary schools, where, studying education and English journalism, she earned several degrees, including a master's degree
in English Education. She is a sister in the sorority Pi Beta Phi
.
Cook taught at one of Florida's several elementary schools named Oak Hill, and then at Madison Junior High School, in Tampa
, Florida
. In 1966, she joined the English Department of Tampa's Hillsborough High School, where she taught literature and creative writing. Students there dedicated the 1972 Hilsborean school yearbook to Cook, who sponsored the book. In it, students described her as "a teacher who really communicates with the students" and who, "without any complaints", "has stayed late, worked nights, and with quiet efficiency supported her staff in their monumental task".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novelist, who was the model for the familiar Gerber Baby
Gerber Baby
The Gerber Baby is the trademark logo of the Gerber Products Company.-History:Fremont Canning Company, owned and operated by Frank Daniel Gerber and his son Daniel Frank Gerber, were looking for a baby face for its new baby-food campaign that was to start in the later part of 1928...
artwork seen on baby-food packages of the Gerber Products Company
Gerber Products Company
Gerber Products Company is a purveyor of baby food and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan, USA.-History:...
.
Gerber baby
Cook is the daughter of syndicated cartoonist Leslie TurnerLeslie Turner
Leslie Turner , known to his friends as Les Turner, was a syndicated comic strip writer-artist who produced the adventures of Captain Easy for more than three decades....
, who drew the comic strip Captain Easy
Captain Easy
Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune was an action/adventure comic strip created by Roy Crane that was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association beginning on Sunday, July 30, 1933...
for decades. Their neighbor was the artist Dorothy Hope Smith, who did a charcoal drawing of Ann when she was five months old. In 1928, when Gerber announced it was looking for baby images for its upcoming line of baby food, Smith's drawing was submitted and subsequently chosen. It was trademarked in 1931. The drawing of Ann Turner Cook has been used on all Gerber baby food packaging since.
Cook attended the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
and other post-secondary schools, where, studying education and English journalism, she earned several degrees, including a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English Education. She is a sister in the sorority Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
.
Cook taught at one of Florida's several elementary schools named Oak Hill, and then at Madison Junior High School, in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In 1966, she joined the English Department of Tampa's Hillsborough High School, where she taught literature and creative writing. Students there dedicated the 1972 Hilsborean school yearbook to Cook, who sponsored the book. In it, students described her as "a teacher who really communicates with the students" and who, "without any complaints", "has stayed late, worked nights, and with quiet efficiency supported her staff in their monumental task".
Novels
After retiring from teaching, Cook became a novelist. A member of the Mystery Writers of America, she is the author of the Brandy O'Bannon series of mystery novels set on Florida's Gulf Coast. The adventures of Florida reporter and amateur sleuth O'Bannon are detailed in Trace Their Shadows (2001), Shadow over Cedar Key (2003), Homosassa Shadows (2005) and Micanopy in Shadow (2008).External links
- Ann Turner Cook's website
- USF 50th Anniversary—College of Education Philanthropic Activities (with photo of Ann Turner Cook)