Michelle Cook remembers when her husband Kevin ’86 got the phone call from Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. ’82 telling him that he is this year’s recipient of the Founders’ Award. “He hung up the phone and was speechless, which is rare for him,” she says with a smile.
Each year the Saint Ignatius Alumni Association honors one of its members for his outstanding service to the school. The Founders’ Award, which was named to honor the late Rev. Robert Welsh, S.J. ’54 and the late Mr. and Mrs. Murlan J. Murphy ’36 for their dedication and service to Saint Ignatius High School, is being awarded to Kevin Cook ’86. Kevin is honored and humbled to receive the award named for the Jesuit who he admired and respected so much.
“Fr. Welsh was the heart and soul of Saint Ignatius,” says Kevin. “He was present, he knew the students, he challenged you to be the best you could be. He never let you forget that the mission was about serving God. For me, the neat thing about this recognition is remembering him and the impact he has had on my life.”
Kevin acknowledges that one of the best things that happened to him because of Saint Ignatius was meeting Michelle while coaching her brother on the football team. Fr. Welsh married them several years later and Kevin admits that Michelle has made the biggest difference in his life.
With their three sons, Jack ’16, Ryan ’17 and Henry ’20, support of Saint Ignatius has always been a priority. Kevin has served as President of the Alumni Executive Council and is a past chairman of the Thomas Koch Alumni Golf Outing committee, the Bellarmine Award Selection committee, the Distinguished Alumnus Selection committee, the Annual Fund Phone-a-Thon and the current chairman of Hall of Fame selection committee, and Michelle was always willing to help where needed.
One of the greatest rewards he discovered from serving on the committees was meeting alumni from different decades. “There were alumni that attended Saint Ignatius while the country was at war, to those who attended during a global pandemic. Yet at their core, they were all the same in their commitment to their alma mater,” Kevin remarks.
Kevin says he is receiving this award for those that came before him. Saint Ignatius does such a great job having role models, mentors, teachers and others that set the benchmark for giving back to the school. “There is a long list of alumni and friends who showed me the way. I have a lot of respect for them personally and professionally, and when they asked me to get involved, I wanted to be associated with those people. It was hard not to reconnect.”
Today Kevin is the Managing Member at Albemarle Advisors, LLC, which provides coaching, mentoring, fractional executive and advisory services to privately-held and family-owned businesses. He holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Cleveland State University.
Kevin is honored to receive this prestigious award.
Kevin Cook '86 will be presented with the 2024 Founders' Award at the 1886 Society Leadership Awards on September 26th, 2024.