John Darwin Shepard Cook Gift to Grace Cathedral, Kansas City MO, and Stain Glass Window Dedications
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Pg 08a L7
FOREWARD
To place in the Church Building and to give for use in its worship, memorials of those who were marked by strong
affection and devout toil for Christ, is a practice most commendable -- both as a just tribute to the dead and
a wholesome incentive to the living.
Such a practice has already begun in Grace Church, Kansas City, Missouri.
Some works of sacred art are now therein, commemorating former loyal parishioners. And since this church is
so built as to make it, humanly speaking, certain to stand through many centuries, it is presumable that year by year,
more such gifts will be added to adorn the structure and enrich the services. It will be easily seen that many
receiving this honor must have been unknown to earthly fame, not registered in the pages of secular history,
simple Christian men and women, true to their calling, who are, we humbly trust, written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Hence, in the lapse of time, it must happen that their lives and characters would pass out of knowledge here;
and while their names were preserved, the reason prompting a remembrance of them in this manner would be forgotten.
It is, therefore, desirable that when such memorial gifts are received in the Church, some brief account of the
persons whose names they bear should be put down, so that the chronicles of the Parish may contain at least bits
of the history and glimpses of the character of its former worthies.
It is often also desirable to preserve some account of the gifts themselves -- to declare the purpose of their
founders; to indicate their teaching; to regulate their use; to show the name of the artist, and the date of the
dedication.
For these reasons this book has been prepared and is now presented to Grace Church; with the request that in it a
memorial record as above indicated, may be forever kept. The present Rector has undertaken to supply, so far as is
now possible, an account of the memorials already existing. And those who shall hereafter rule this Parish are
earnestly asked to provide similar notices in the case of all subsequent memorials.
In this, as in all things, may the Holy Name of God be glorified, and may He grant to us and to all succeeding
worshippers here, grace so to follow the good examples of those recorded in this book, that we with them may be
partakers of His Everlasting Kingdom.
(Signed)
John D. S. Cook
Kansas City, Missouri
All Saints Day A.D. 1897
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This appears, in beautifully executed calligraphy, as the Forward in the elaborately decorated
book, "An Account of the Memorials in Grace Church". Recently discovered in the Cathedral
Archives, this book was given in 1897 by John Darwin Shepard Cook (1834-1909), as an important
gift for the reasons he outlined above. (Hereinafter, this gift will be referred to as the
"Memorial Record Book.") Sadly, the practice of recording memorial gifts in the book was
never begun; even two Tiffany windows dedicated on October 24, 1897, were not listed in the
book at the time of their dedication. The book was placed on the top shelf of the closet in
the Vestry Room, (now the working sacristy,) and lay forgotten there, until
Julia Rockwell (1850-1947) discovered it sometime in the late 1920s. She began researching
the memorial gifts, and spent several years corresponding with Cameron Mann and others to
learn some of the history of these memorial gifts. The results of her labors were published
in the service leaflet used at the dedication service for the Powell & Sons windows and the
rededication of the Nave on October 26, 1930. Now, some 80 years later, we have built upon the
foundation of her research to present the current book to the Congregation of Grace and Holy
Trinity Cathedral.
It is most appropriate that Mr. Cook himself became the subject of a memorial in his beloved
church: Two of the Powell & Sons windows in the Chancel, The Annunciation and The Nativity,
are dedicated to him. It is a pleasure to be able to demonstrate what an intelligent,
thoughtful and devout individual Mr. Cook was, how responsibly he took his position as a
custodian of the physical attributes of Grace Church, and who demonstrated his faith by the
giving of such a gift. May we all come to hold his views on the memorials which surround us,
as we worship our Creator and Redeemer.
No photos are available of the original window dedicated to John Darwin Shepard Cook. The photo to the left is the origonal window
dedicated to Rosalie and was donated by John Darwin Shepard Cook after her death in 1887. It was a Heinigke & Brown window and
dedicated on April 12 1896 on Easter Sunday.
(From "The Glorious Masterworks of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City MI 2017 by Randal J. Loy, page 289)
Link to Grace Cathedral Windows, pg 08a L9
Link to Front Page & Family Members' Names, pg 00
Link to John Darwin Shepard Cook(08), pg 08a
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