Jim and Shirley Cook Scholarship
The Jim and Shirley Cook Scholarship, established in 2014, has given over $6,500 and continues to support high school seniors in Southwest Missouri who are pursuing careers in the following fields:
• Mechanical engineering
• CNC programming
• Welding
• Machine tool technology
This $750 scholarship is administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and participate in at least one extracurricular activity during their senior year. Preference is given to students involved in FFA leadership or the GO CAPS program. The scholarship can be applied toward post-secondary education in either 2-year technical programs or 4-year degree programs.
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open. Interested students can learn more and apply online here. The application deadline is March 16, 2025.
The scholarship honors the legacy of Jim Cook, founder of Central States Industrial (CSI), who passed away in August 2014. Jim was dedicated to helping customers succeed through careers in technical fields. His wife, Shirley Cook, co-founded CSI and managed bookkeeping and clerical work during the company's early years. Now 87, Shirley is happily retired and continues to support her family and community.
For more information about CSI history, visit https://www.csidesigns.com/company/about-our-founder.
ABOUT CSI
Central States Industrial Equipment (CSI) is a leader in distribution of hygienic pipe, valves, fittings, pumps, heat exchangers, and MRO supplies for hygienic industrial processors, with four distribution facilities across the U.S. CSI also provides detail design and execution for hygienic process systems in the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and personal care industries. Specializing in process piping, system start-ups, and cleaning systems, CSI leverages technology, intellectual property, and industry expertise to deliver solutions to processing problems. More information can be found at www.csidesigns.com.