James Wilber Cook

Year Inducted: 2020

James Cook was born in Surry County in 1942, to J.F. and Elizabeth Beddingfield Cook. He was a graduate of Wilkes Central High School and received a degree in Business Administration from UNC Chapel Hill in 1964. In the fall of 1964, James and Beverly Beshears were married and made their home in Wilkes.

James joined his father, Flake Cook, at Carolina Auto Supply which was a business started in 1946 by Flake and his partner Bob Kite. By the time James joined his father, the business had two store fronts in downtown North Wilkesboro. After buying out Bob Kite in 1968, James became Flake’s partner, and the business name was changed to Cook’s Inc. In 1974, James expanded the store and moved it to the current location on Willow Street in West Park. James helped grow Cook’s Sporting Goods from a small local company with five employees into a major regional sports retailer with over 45 employees. He had a vision of supplying uniforms and equipment to high school and college teams across North Carolina. Under his leadership, Cook’s Sporting Goods expanded from two school accounts to over 100 high school and college accounts. Cook’s was and remains the main supplier of sports equipment and uniforms to recreation leagues in Wilkes and the surrounding area.

Cook believed the way to build a business was through relationships, and that these relationships were built by getting to know your customers and supplying them with what they needed. He always made his employees feel appreciated which directly attributed to their hard work and loyalty to the business. He always deflected credit for the success of Cook’s Sporting Goods away from himself, and instead directed it to his employees.

James and Beverly had two children: Mark Beshears Cook, married to Lani, and Kathleen James Cook married to Paul Lichstein. They have two granddaughters, Kieran Avery Cook married to Daniel Jones, and Maia Elizabeth Cook. James died unexpectedly in 2018, leaving behind a legacy that his family continues to uphold.

In his youth, James was an Eagle Scout and grew up loving his hometown. As an adult, James continued giving back to his community. He supported CareNet of Wilkes, the Wilkes Art Gallery, the Wilkes Library, the YMCA, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he was a member. James was a member of Rotary International and in 2007 was named a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest award bestowed by the organization. He was a founding member of the Wilkes Health Foundation and the Wilkes County Hall of Fame. Following his passing, the Wilkes County Hall of Fame Governing Board renamed their annual Youth Leadership Breakfast in his memory.