BIOGRAPHY

Cook was born as Pauline Clarice Bolt in Illinois on 30 March 1913. She was the younger of two daughters born to Virgil Allnutt Bolt and Edna Lenore Hunter, who lived to be 85 and 91 respectively. Her elder sister, Lucille, died in 1955 aged 52.

The family moved to Lewiston, Idaho by 1920, and by 1930, Cook was living with her parents in Whittier, California, graduating from college there in 1934. On 15 February 1946, aged 32, she married Colorado native Dr. Wells Clifford Cook, who was ten years her senior. The couple had no children of their own, but Cook had three stepchildren – Beverly, Dennis, and John, from her husband’s previous marriage.

Cook was employed as a social worker for the Los Angeles Board of Education. She also worked as a clerical assistant for President Richard Nixon. She was widowed in 1979.

After her husband’s death, Cook moved to Henderson, Nevada, eventually moving into a nursing home there. On her 109th birthday, she reported that her favorite food was meat. She also stated that the secret to her longevity was, “…try and live it up, and don’t get too serious about stuff. Just enjoy your life, you only get one, so eat your cake!“

At the age of 109, Cook relocated from Henderson, Nevada to an assisted living facility in Roanoke, Virginia, where she currently resides.

RECOGNITION

Cook was first noted for her longevity on her 109th birthday when 8 News Now ran a story on the occasion. She was also congratulated by the Whittier College Alumni Association. For her 110th birthday, her nursing home praised her longevity on their Facebook page.

On 4 June 2024, following the passing of 111-year-old Virginia Jefferson, she became the oldest (known) living person in Virginia.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Wishing 109-year-old Pauline Cook a happy birthday” – 8 News Now, 30 March 2022

* “Sending a belated Happy Birthday to one our oldest Poets, Pauline Clarice (Bolt) Cook ’34 who turned 109 this year!” – Whittier College Alumni Association on Facebook, 1 July 2022

* “Happy 110th birthday to Ms Pauline Cook” – The Harmony Collection at Roanoke – Assisted Living on Facebook, 30 March 2023

GALLERY