Everett Richard Cook was born to Jesse Everett and Ollie Belle (Shonacker) Cook on December 13, 1894 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enlisted in the United States Air Service on June 4, 1917 in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from the School of Military Aeronautics in Champaign, Illinois on August 8, 1917 and was sent to Chanute Field for preliminary flight training. Cook was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the aviation section of the Officers' Signal Reserve Corps in November 1917 and sent to France, where he completed advanced flight training at Issoudun and reported for duty with the 1st Observation Group in Amanty. He completed an aerial gunnery course and was reassigned to the 91st Aero Squadron on April 1, 1918 and later took command of the squadron. Additionally, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action near Damvillers, France. Cook was discharged from active duty on August 15, 1919 and returned to Memphis, where he married Phoebe Willingham (1898-1985) on June 4, 1919 and became a merchant in the cotton industry. He and his wife had two children, Everett Willingham and Phoebe (Cook) Welsh. Cook returned to active duty in World War II, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for the 8th Air Force in England. He eventually retired from the Air Force at the rank of Brigadier General and died in Memphis on January 21, 1974.