TAMPA — In 1931, Gerber officially trademarked the sketch of a little girl from Connecticut. That sketch of Ann Turner Cook has now become iconic, decades after it was published.
Cook has lived in Tampa for most of her life and still does. Recently, she received a nice surprise.
The first Gerber baby and the newest Gerber baby met for the first time.
Lucas Warren, 1, was chosen in February and his family wanted to make sure Lucas and Cook got the chance to meet. Gerber organized the meeting that produced the adorable picture of the two.
Cook’s grandson, Chris Colin, posted the image of the two meeting on Twitter and it’s now been retweeted and liked tens of thousands of times.
So how did Cook become the first Gerber baby?
“I’ve always said and firmly believe that the artist should get the credit! It’s a drawing and not a photograph. She was very talented,” said Cook.
Cook’s life has been full of much more though. She has written five books. Four of them are murder mysteries and one of them is a book about her life.
Cook was an English teacher at Hillsborough High School in Tampa for nearly 30 years. Shakespeare is still her favorite to read.
She said teaching is one of her greatest accomplishments.
"If it’s something you enjoy doing, that’s what you should concentrate on as your career. You don't want to spend your life doing something that you don’t enjoy," said Cook.
There are lots of stories to tell when you are 91 and Cook said meeting little Lucas is going to be one of her favorites.
Before our interview was over, she had this advice, showcasing her sense of humor.
“The best thing you can do is select your parents… very carefully,” Cook said with a laugh.
Each year, Gerber chooses a new baby to be their spokesbaby and that child and their family gets $50,000. Lucas is the first spokesbaby chosen by the company, who has Down Syndrome
