THE WAUPACA COUNTY POST

May 9, 1991

 

WHEN THEN WAS NOW

By Wayne A. Guyant

 

            Recently I came across two interesting items:  one from the January 27, 1916 issue of the Milwaukee Sentinel, captioned “Unique Family in Sports,” and the other a family picture of T. M., Oscar, Carl, Alfred and William, the Cook Family Bowling Team of Waupaca, in the March 3, 1910, issue of the Waupaca Record.

            It seems as if there was a statewide organization whereby families competed against families in bowling.

            In 1907 the father, Theodore M. Cook, with four of his sons, formed their family team.  The article that appeared in 1910 indicated that the Cook family had competed several times since 1907, and never was defeated.

            In the winter of 1910, Theodore M. Cook, with four of his sons, defeated F.  W. Kehl and his sons of Madison, at a tournament that was held in Milwaukee to claim the State Family Bowling Championship.

            The Cook Family Bowling Team made everyone who was interested in bowling stand up and take notice.  The Cook family team’s game was off the night that they defeated the Kehl family in Milwaukee, but managed to win by six pins.  The entire Cook and Kehl families were invited to a banquet that was held in the Blatz Hotel in Milwaukee.

            The highest scores ever rolled by the Cook family team up to 1910 was an 893, a 967 and a 1,030.  That was an average of 192 for the five men, for the three games. The highest individual score was a 272, rolled by William R. Cook.

            It was also in February 1910 that the Cook family team went to a tournament in Stevens Point, where they won the Wisconsin River League Championship.

            Theodore M. Cook was once a member of the National Gun Club and the champion trapshooter of Wisconsin.  His best record was 93 out of a possible 100.  He often remarked that his boys could also shoot a little.

            Theodore M. Cook was born in 1856 and passed away in November 5, 1939.  He was married to Johanna Anderson in the Town of Farmington on June 26, 1885.  She had been born in Turndrup, Denmark, September 4, 1864.  They were the parents of seven sons:  Carl, Oscar, William and Irving of Waupaca; Dr. Alfred of Lancaster, Dr. Arthur of Stevens Point; and Edward, who was a teacher at Hayward.

            Mrs. Cook died January 18, 1936.  Her pallbearers were all men with familiar names in Waupaca:  Will C. Ware, Oscar and Charles Larson, Chr. J. Miller, Peter Holst, and D. C. Hayward of Weyauwega.