Nancy Cooke de Herrera
Encyclopedia
Nancy Cooke de Herrera was an American socialite, fashion expert and author of the book All You Need Is Love: An Eyewitness Account of When Spirituality Spread from the East to the West.
in the 1940s.
in Hawaii
and married Richard Cooke, the son of a well-known missionary family in 1941. As the wife of a prominent family member she performed hostess duties for Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Halsey
and Admiral Towers during World War II. During her nine year marriage she gave birth to three sons.
While in Paris in 1951 de Herrera met an American race car driver named Luis de Herrera whom she later married. The couple moved to Argentina
and had a daughter. A few years later, in 1955, her husband Luis died of leukemia and atomic radiation exposure when their daughter was 9 months old.
For twelve years de Herrera was a leading figure in the fashion industry and was referred to as the "U.S. Ambassadress of Fashion" while traveling to 15 countries to present American couture.
De Herrera worked as a publicist for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
in the 1960s and traveled with him on a trip to South America. She was the liaison for the Maharishi and The Beatles
during their widely publicized visit to Rishikesh, India
.
During her dozens of trips to India and Tibet she is reported to have had meetings with the Dalai Lama
, the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Sir Edmund Hillary, the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of Jordan and Satya Sai Baba.
In 2003, de Herrera published her book All You Need Is Love: An Eyewitness Account of When Spirituality Spread from the East to the West. A review in Awareness Magazine said the reader is kept "spellbound from cover to cover" and called it a "shoe-in for a Pulitzer Prize nomination".
Over the years de Herrera is reported to have given meditation lessons to many celebrities including Madonna
, Greta Garbo
, Rosie O'Donnell
, Lenny Kravitz
and Sheryl Crow
. De Herrara has been called one of the pioneers of the spiritual movement in the West.
Early life and education
De Herrera grew up in Piedmont California and studied bacteriology at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the 1940s.
Adult life
De Herrera traveled to MolokaiMolokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and married Richard Cooke, the son of a well-known missionary family in 1941. As the wife of a prominent family member she performed hostess duties for Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Halsey
William Halsey, Jr.
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr., United States Navy, , was a U.S. Naval officer. He commanded the South Pacific Area during the early stages of the Pacific War against Japan...
and Admiral Towers during World War II. During her nine year marriage she gave birth to three sons.
While in Paris in 1951 de Herrera met an American race car driver named Luis de Herrera whom she later married. The couple moved to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and had a daughter. A few years later, in 1955, her husband Luis died of leukemia and atomic radiation exposure when their daughter was 9 months old.
For twelve years de Herrera was a leading figure in the fashion industry and was referred to as the "U.S. Ambassadress of Fashion" while traveling to 15 countries to present American couture.
De Herrera worked as a publicist for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
in the 1960s and traveled with him on a trip to South America. She was the liaison for the Maharishi and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
during their widely publicized visit to Rishikesh, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
During her dozens of trips to India and Tibet she is reported to have had meetings with the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Sir Edmund Hillary, the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of Jordan and Satya Sai Baba.
In 2003, de Herrera published her book All You Need Is Love: An Eyewitness Account of When Spirituality Spread from the East to the West. A review in Awareness Magazine said the reader is kept "spellbound from cover to cover" and called it a "shoe-in for a Pulitzer Prize nomination".
Over the years de Herrera is reported to have given meditation lessons to many celebrities including Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
. De Herrara has been called one of the pioneers of the spiritual movement in the West.