Diane and Gerald “Jerry” Cook made a multimillion-dollar commitment to the University of Miami through their estate plans, establishing the Cook Endowed Presidential Impact Fund.
The unrestricted fund will support high-priority initiatives on the Coral Gables Campus, allowing future generations to benefit from the same sense of community and purpose that Diane found during her 30-year career at the U.
“I wanted to support the University in perpetuity, and this enabled me to do that,” Diane said. “I cut my teeth on endowment management – advising existing endowments and determining the best way to use our resources – so I understood just how valuable this money could be.”
Diane’s insight into how beneficial this money could be to the University of Miami comes from her distinguished career at UM, where she served as vice president, treasurer and secretary to the Board of Trustees. Although she spent the majority of her career in the Sunshine State, Diane did not begin her education in the South.
Long before she became a University of Miami executive and champion of innovation, Diane was a high school student in South Bend, Ind., dreaming of attending Notre Dame. However, the university was not admitting women in the late 1960s. So, she chose Purdue University, her father’s alma mater, where she met the love of her life and aspiring aviation student, Jerry Cook.
“Our roommates were dating,” she said. “So I got to know Jerry over bridge games, since my roommate was eager to learn.”
She graduated in 1972 with top honors and a business degree. The following year, Diane and Jerry got married and soon after the wedding they moved to Florida for Jerry’s career in the airline industry.
Her connection to the city started to grow in 1978, when Jerry’s colleague from Air Florida welcomed the couple to the city with a dinner party.
At the party, Diane met faculty members from what is now known as the Miami Herbert Business School. The faculty quickly recognized her intellect and encouraged her to pursue an MBA.
She completed her degree in 1980 and, by then, was working as a financial analyst in the University of Miami treasurer’s office.
“It was a good fit,” Diane said. “I had a great boss in Steve Ashman, hard challenges I could handle, everything just clicked. I also learned how important it is to have a village around you.”
Her tight knit community at UM quickly became a second home while helping her recover from Hurricane Andrew’s destruction in 1992.
“My husband was out of town at the time, so I was alone because of Hurricane Andrew,” Diane said. “The University showed me a lot of care and concern, offering handymen to board up my windows and giving me a cell phone to manage in the aftermath.”
She did not hesitate to help her community as well, even while she was recovering from the aftermath of the hurricane.
“I remember offering my home to a colleague who lost everything. I said, ‘Bring your wife, bring your dog, bring your parrot; my house is yours.’”
She earned a reputation for precision, dependability and pushing boundaries with innovation.
“I pitched new ideas to the board, memorized every fact and figure for my presentations, I oversaw all financial transactions, I fought for innovative retirement plan changes,” she said. “It eventually became the hallmark of my professional reputation — what I promised, I delivered.”
Diane received numerous honors over the years, including the May A. Brunson Award for helping women embrace computer technology, the President’s Medal for meritorious service and induction into the Iron Arrow Society, the University’s highest honor.
Jerry passed away on Sept. 4, 2024 with Diane at his side. He was a passionate innovator and a devoted family man, often describing himself as “the guy who fixes problems.”
In light of his death, the Cook family’s estate plan outlines that the Cook Endowed Presidential Impact Fund will be distributed to the University of Miami. Estate plans are designed for people to outline how they wish for their assets to be divided. These plans are useful in life and also ensure that the person’s wishes are carried out upon death.
Diane retired from UM in 2010, but her commitment to the institution continues through her donation. For Diane, this gift reflects a life shaped by service and community.
“Retirement has been a novel experience for me: I get a great night’s sleep every day; I hadn’t done that in years,” she said. “Life is good.”