“Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.”
This is the most intriguing quote of 2011. They are Apple creator Steve Jobs’ last words before skipping the surly bonds, according to his sister. What was Steve seeing? God? Jesus? Buddha? The iCar? A Higgs boson?
We will never know. Harry Houdini left special instructions for communication beyond life. After a fist in the gut, a sudden death, no one ever heard from Harry again.
This all got me thinking of Bill Cook.
Bill passed away this year and is a Hoosier who left an indelible legacy, not only with his contribution to the medical community, but his commitment to the restoration of the splendid past into a sprawling future. I was most intrigued by the West Baden Hotel; when I first came upon it, it was a ruin. A good part of a whole five-story wing had collapsed. It was in terrible shape.
It was designed and built in 1901 by Harrison Albright, after a fire that same year destroyed the first resort built in 1851, named West Baden after a famous German spa. Albright created the largest free-standing dome in the world that wouldn’t be surpassed until the Houston AstroDome construction began in 1962.
Ownership by the Sinclair family eventually passed to Charles Ballard. Growing up in Peru, Ind., I lived in a subdivision adjacent to the huge Ballard estate there. Under Ballard’s leadership the hotel flourished until the stock market crash in 1929 and it was forced to close. West Baden steadily deteriorated for the next five decades.
I was sad about the condition of this fabulous hotel. I never dreamed it would be restored and I remember taking one tiny tile from the main atrium as a souvenir. It sits in a special place near my office.
But Bill and Gayle Cook, along with Indiana Historic Landmarks, stepped in and restored the West Baden Hotel. It is a magnificent place today. I remember writing a column at twilight at the bar in the atrium this summer, sipping a Stella, watching dusk wander into night, the lights low, the voices hushed. My computer was hooked into the World Wide Web.
The Cooks pumped tens of millions into its restoration.
When I was writing for NUVO Newsweekly, I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Bill Cook. As we gazed skyward, Cook explained, “I’m in awe. It’s like I’m a stranger in something I’ve done.”
This is a man who didn’t often search for words. But the wonder of the hotel left him pondering in beautiful fragments: “It’s just … the same sensation … that I have … such a magnificent building.”
I was truly moved.
More than a decade ago a friend and I took our kids to the partially restored West Baden. We packed a picnic lunch and a blanket and drove there. We spread out on the lawn and watched a huge Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane lift four prefabricated towers on the four corners of the hotel. It was a lovely experience, the completion of the exterior in the most grandiose of fashion. I was moved when the Sirkosky chopper took off from the ground several hours after the final tower had been affixed. It slowly lifted away and the massive rotors thumped our chests.
Everyone stood up and gazed into the sky as it rose above the building, hovering for a moment, and then it did a 360 around the hotel, nose at a downward angle, the crew taking one last look at its magnificence. It was a stunning, definitive moment that still leaves me breathless.
I last saw Bill Cook in 2010, after giving a speech to some of his Cook Group employees. Afterwards, we talked for about 10 minutes on the Monroe County Courthouse Square about the economy and the state of journalism. I thanked him for what he and Gayle did at West Baden.
In August 2003, I was next door to the old hotel at French Lick Springs and Gov. Frank O’Bannon was giving the keynote to the Indiana Democratic Editorial Association that night. I had heard the Governor speak many times, and when he began talking this night, I wasn’t taking notes. But then Frank began talking about the West Baden Hotel and I picked up my pad and pen and began scribbling notes. He told the story of how the architect Albright stood atop the dome while the workers pounded away the supports. Folks gawked below, wondering if the whole thing would really stay up “thar” or whether Mr. Albright would plunge to his death.
Of course, we know what happened. Albright survived, as does his splendid hotel today. But those would be Gov. O’Bannon’s last public words. He passed away a few short weeks later.
Why do I write this today? In hopes that in some Indiana garage or basement, some genius is bringing a fantastic idea to life and market, and that the next Bill Cook or Steve Jobs stands like a seed among us, leading us deeper into the 21st Century.
Brian Howey writes about Indiana politics and publishes at www.howeypolitics.com. Contact him at bhowey2@gmail.com.
Opinion
BRIAN HOWEY: Remembering Bill Cook and Steve Jobs
- Opinion
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RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: Confused
I am confused. For those who know me, that is not an unusual state. But, while listening to a political commercial on TV, I heard the announcer say the candidate was “real conservative.” If he is a “real conservative,” is someone not quite a “real conservative” an “unreal conservative”?
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EDITORIAL: Towering response
It comes as incredibly sad news that a Garfield Towers resident has succumbed as the result of a fire last week at the northside apartment complex.
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READERS' FORUM: May 24, 2012
• Cartoon unfunny, insults disabled
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MARK BENNETT: 500 history runs in her veins, but she’ll pass on the buttermilk
Katy Balch appreciates tradition. The 20-year-old from Terre Haute understands how neatly her role as one of 33 Indianapolis 500 princesses fits her family.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 23, 2012
• The rule of the ‘government czar’
• Promises often don’t prove noble
• Smoking not going away soon
• Primary voting gets it wrong
• Where’s the pride in our parks?
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RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: GSA Debacle
The recent General Services Administration debacle is enough to gag a whale.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 22, 2012
• Try a new approach to control drugs
• Our president is ruining the USA
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LIZ CIANCONE: She wasn’t hooked by the fishing hobby
I’m told that eveyone should have a hobby. If “hobby” means collecting something like stamps or coins, I don’t have one.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
• Cream of the crop
• Keep the ideas flowing
• Remembering fallen officers
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READERS’ FORUM: May 21, 2012
• Some still don’t understand presence of pervasive racism
• Thanks for help in emergency
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EDITORIAL: Hazards of the spring abundant now on I-70
A major holiday weekend is approaching. The weather has been consistently inviting for travel and outdoor activity. Gas prices are even inching downward.
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MARK BENNETT: Roadway Role Models: Adults need to remember habits often rub off on teens
Plenty of dads connected with a car ad that first aired on TV two years ago.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 20, 2012
St. Ann’s gives thanks to those who supported its mission
No deception, just GOP spin
Disdain for only liberals
Writer doesn’t know the Bible
Flawed primary discourages voters
Recognition was much appreciated
Who’s fanning marriage issue?
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FLASHPOINT:Bipartisan vs. Nonpartisan
During the primary election season there was much discussion regarding whether bipartisanship is a positive or negative attribute as it relates to the work of the United States Congress.
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EDITORIAL: Embrace the Sycamores
Terre Haute should understand the rarity of an opportunity to celebrate a championship.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 18, 2012
• Romney imperfect, but better option
• Great support for Strassenfest
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RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: ‘Political Super Pacs’
The Supreme Court has told us it is not constitutional to restrict how much money someone can put into a super political action committee.
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EDITORIAL: Good choice for stability
For the first time in 25 years, Indiana will have a new chief justice for its Supreme Court. For those who value stability on the state’s highest court — and we count ourselves among those who do — the appointment Tuesday of longtime Justice Brent Dickson is good news.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 17, 2012
• Don’t ignore what GOP won’t tell you
• Scotties help keep neighborhood tidy
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EDITORIAL: Correcting the prison imbalance
Terre Haute will no longer count federal prisoners when the city slices its population into six equal City Council districts. That decision by the City Council last week to remove the inmates at the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex from the council district mathematical formula may not make waves, but it makes sense.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 16, 2012
• Assessing the tough decisions
• Take another look at school schedule
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RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: “One and Done”
We can see University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari standing up to his knees in beautifully blue grass as he is waving goodbye.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Many happy thoughts to go around on Mothers’ Day
I know this is going to sound goofy, but Mothers’ Day never passes that I don’t think of my Uncle Jim.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 15, 2012
• Attack obesity at its causes
• Uplifting service for believers
• Evolution based on faith, not proof
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the News
• Sometimes bureaucracies do listen
• April hours bring May flowers
• Getting our airport off the ground
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READERS’ FORUM: May 14, 2012
• Liberals distort women’s issues
• Davis Park says thanks for honor
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EDITORIAL: When it’s IU vs. UK, there’s got to be a way
If the annual Indiana-Kentucky basketball game was not significant, would the coaches of the two universities be talking like this?
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MARK BENNETT: Read me to sleep, mom
She read. They listened, staring at the pages.
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READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2012
• Right answer is respect, inclusion
• Theme sounds strangely familiar
• Good explanation, still no solution
• Facts about our founders
• Santorum and the Constitution
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BRIAN HOWEY: Richard Mourdock, Joe Donnelly and the great partisan divide
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar — vanquished by age, longevity, barrel bottom congressional approval ratings and an aggressive opponent in Treasurer Richard Mourdock — seemed to be bridging a divided party when he took the stage shortly after 8 on Tuesday night as the magnitude of the 61-39 percent landslide against him registered.
- More Opinion Headlines
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Raw Video: Toddler Trapped in Washing Machine
Raw Video: Fire on Nuke-powered Sub in Maine
Astrologers Predict Outcome of Presidential Race
NYPD: Person Implicated in Etan Patz Death
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Illegal Burn Suspected in Nevada Fire
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Obama: 'We've Got More Work to Do'
Castro's Daughter Takes on U.S.-Cuban Relations
1 Dead After Crop-Dusters Collide in Midair
Raw Video: Tornado Appears During Wedding
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Romney: "I'd Like Every Parent to Have a Choice"
Raw Video: School Bus Hits House
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
Clinton Touts Rights Advances, Assails Assad
Inquiry Hears Wider Secret Service Misbehavior
HP to Cut 27,000 Jobs, Save Up to $3.5B
Fight erupts in Ukrainian parliament over language bill.
Racy ad encourages safe sex for senior citizens
New Video of The Dark Knight Rises Released by Warner Brothers
Coach dismissed after going to prom with student
Jennifer Lopez's Rock Hard Abs
Plane Passenger Records Engine Hatch Blowing Off
What Katy Perry Thinks Makes Her Hot
Toddlers Mistake Laundry Detergent TidePods for Candy, Get Poisoned
Anderson Kicks Guest Off Show
Lolo Jones Admits Trouble Keeping Boyfriends
Behind 'Breaking Bad's' Big Bang
Big Bang Theory Star Comes Out
Laundromat video: It was the babysitter and her friend
"The Choking Game" - Deadly Trend for Youth
Sanchez Eager to Start Her Career after 'Idol'
K.Stew's Topless Confession at Cannes
American Idol Crowns a Champ
