There can be little doubt that billionaire Bill Cook, the wealthiest man in Indiana, according to Forbes Magazine, has an amazing knack for making money, bringing projects to fruition and envisioning a better future. Bob Hammel wrote a book about Bill Cook, founder of Star of Indiana.

Cook began his international, multibillion-dollar Cook Group from the spare bedroom in his Bloomington apartment with a $1,500 investment and an idea to produce a better catheter. 30 of the 400 pages in the book describe Cook's Star of Indiana. After the Star of Indiana won the world championship, Cook morphed it into a Broadway show, Blast!, which won a Tony Award; the PBS special about the corps won an Emmy.

Throughout his rise to fame, some things didn't change. Cook and his wife, Gayle, still live in the Bloomington home they purchased for $36,750 in 1967, although they did add a garage after 30 years. But they've become major philanthropists over that time, helping a multitude of organisations and institutions.

It's apparent that Cook is a man of strong opinions, believing that a liberal arts education is the best form of undergraduate experience, that global warming need not be taken seriously, and that focusing on stem cell research is a waste of time and energy.

'The Bill Cook Story: Ready, Fire, Aim!' is avalaible at Amazon.

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