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A former star Parry McCluer High School athlete found himself in the middle of the California wildfires last week and evacuated to Arizona.
Cook, a 2017 PM graduate who has had a finance job in Los Angeles for two years, said the outside air smelled “like a campfire” when he got up last Wednesday morning, so he left for Arizona to stay with a friend from the College of William and Mary. He said he didn’t have a mandatory evacuation, and his home and possessions were not damaged, but he took precautions and felt like it was the right thing to do.
“There was a red glow over the entire city,” said Cook.
The son of Kelly and Avis Cook, K.J., 25, said his bosses and coworkers “were very understanding and encouraged everybody to be safe,” and to evacuate if necessary.
Cook, who intends to return to Virginia for a visit soon, said family members were good about checking in with him, especially his 9-yearold brother, Jalen.
While at PM, Cook won four Class 1 state throwing titles for the track and field team, two in the shot put and two in the discus, setting school records. Cook, who also played football and basketball at PM, then attended and graduated from William and Mary in Williamsburg, where he competed in track and field before earning his master’s degree in finance from Purdue University.
In 2022, in his final year of eligibility as an NCAA track and field athlete, he attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.. As a member of the Boilermakers’ track and field team, he placed 18th in the hammer throw at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With his performance, Cook earned honorable mention All-America distinction for the second time in his career.
