MASON, Mich. — On the outskirts of Mason, tucked away beneath a quaint home, lies a treasure trove that would make any history buff week in the knees.
Jack Cook, a sprightly 87-year-old, maintains an astonishing array of U.S. Presidential artifacts.
“We bought this house because I wanted to convert this basement into my museum.”
“Would you consider yourself a political junkie?, Bob asks.
“No. I'm, I'm interested in the office of the presidency," Jacks says. "Because to me, there's been 45 People that have served in that position. And they're pretty fascinating.”
Among the thousands of items, there are books penned and autographed by multiple Commanders-in-Chiefs and a ballot box from the infamous 2000 election, hanging chads and all.
One of most unique items is a piece of presidential cake.
“I went to the inauguration of George Bush 41 As a member of the inner circle of the Republican Party. And they had a special inaugural ball, and the president Mrs. Bush came, and then we left they gave us a piece of the inauguration cake and I still got it," jack laughs.
“Jack, you say you have more than 8,000 pieces of Presidential memorabilia, which obviously you do, what is your favorite out of everything?"
“It’s hard to pick a favorite but I think maybe the photo I took of President Nixon at Yorba Linda at his dedication. He was being interviewed for the evening news and I stood right next to him and took that picture. Then, I took it to his office, and he signed it.”
Jacks been adding to his personal collection for more than sixty years but recently he made the difficult decision to part ways.
“I'm at 87 years old. And I think my kids would like to have one or two items, but they're not really interested in the stuff like I'm interested in collecting stuff. And I've collected about all the stuff there is to collect. But I got to do something with it. And I don't want to leave this as a burden for them.”
Jack called Brad Stoecker with Epic Auctions and Estates to help him find a new home for his collection.
Brad says he was blown away by the sheer magnitude of Jack’s assortment and also by a man with a whole lot of wisdom.
"We get to redistribute these items to other collectors who will also enjoy them for the next generation. Jack is a Good Neighbor because he looks at politics from above, he doesn’t delve into the fray. It’s the respect of the position and office.”
We agree and want to say thank you to Jack Cook, a true American enthusiast and this week's Good Neighbor, for preserving a slice of history for generations to come.
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