Mr. Vannie E. Cook Jr. grew up in McAllen, Texas and was a prominent businessman and rancher who owned the Coca Cola Bottling Company in McAllen. Mr. Cook loved the outdoor life and was devoted to game and nature conservation. He was extremely active in the community and in what was once the Rio Grande Valley Radiation and Cancer Treatment Center, which eventually became the Vannie E. Cook Jr. Cancer Foundation.
He was married to Carolyn Vance and had four children. Mr. Cook’s daughter, Kathy Collins, lives in McAllen and serves as Chair of the Board. A kind man with a philanthropic spirit, Mr. Cook would most certainly be proud of the children’s oncology and hematology clinic, which bears his name.