Cook, Sterling D. Jr, 2002.

Sterling Cook was fascinated with Melrose Plantation and the Cane River area from the time it was first mentioned to him. While attending school in Denton, Texas between 1937 and 1940, he was made aware of the area by two of his art teachers. He first visited Melrose Plantation in 1940, with a cousin from Bossier Parish. In 1957, Cook wrote Francois Mignon asking permission to visit him at Melrose. It was during this time that the two first met. They remained friends and corresponded throughout the years until Mignon's death in 1981. Mr. Cook was born in Pima, Texas, and grew up in several Southern states.

In 1954, he moved to Oxford, Ohio and pursued a master's degree in fine arts from Miami University. After receiving the degree in 1957, Cook took over as librarian for the university's art and architecture department. In 1972, he was coordinator of the university's art gallery, and by 1976 became the coordinator of the Miami University Art Musuem. Though Cook was interested in and knowledgeable about all types of art, his favorite was folk art. Among his most successful exhibits was one featuring Louisiana-based folk artists, which he completed in 1981. After Cook retired in 1986, he concentrated on renovating his Oxford home and spending time in his yard and with his pets. He died July 19, 2002 at Berkeley Square in Hamilton of pneumonia. He was 85 years old. Cook was a member of the Ohio Folk Arts Society and the Victorian Society.