‘Giant’ creator Vic Cook dies

By Justin Schneider The Herald Bulletin

PENDLETON, Ind. — The Pendleton man whose environmentally friendly house was ahead of its time has died.

Vic Cook, 67, died Friday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, from complications related to a stroke a month earlier, according to his daughter, Heather Lineberry.

Cook had been hospitalized since March 13 when he suffered a “massive” stroke, according to Sue Blakely, president of the nonprofit Earthship Corp. Blakely said Cook opened his eyes and showed signs of consciousness.

But Lineberry said her father was adamant in his refusal of artificial life-support. Even with swelling in his brain, she said, Cook was alert, but his condition worsened when the swelling receded and he died without breathing and feeding tubes.

“His main thing was not being able to communicate and being trapped,” Lineberry said.

In 1978, Cook began construction of “The Giant,” his home in rural Pendleton, using only natural materials and powered exclusively with alternative energy. Cook used solar panels to generate electricity he stored in a battery system provided by Delco Remy, collected water in a cistern and used a compost toilet.

In interviews, Cook often bragged that he had not paid a utility bill in 30 years.

“There were a couple things that took a backseat in this project,” Cook said in a published interview. “No. 1 is luxury. No. 2 is ultra-convenience. Those two things are out of control in America in our society.”

Cook had to fight to keep his creation. He nearly lost “The Giant” to a tax sale in 1994. He fended off a lawsuit from the town of Pendleton and took action against Idlewold Golf & Country Club over alleged civil rights violations.

Cook opened “The Giant” to tours in 1986 and the nonprofit Earthship Corp. was set up to protect his creation as an educational entity.

Lineberry echoed Blakely’s earlier statement that Earthship will continue to schedule tours of “The Giant.”

“He wanted ‘The Giant’ to continue to educate and to be an example,” Blakely said. “And we intend to honor that.”

Lineberry said Cook left his entire estate to Earthship. If Earthship didn’t own “The Giant” before Cook’s death, she said, it will soon.

Cook earned most of his income from teaching guitar lessons. Blakely said he had scheduled appointments with students for March 14, the day after his stroke.

Jeff Kern, who took guitar lessons from Cook, will continue with plans to stage a fund-raising concert in Cook’s honor to benefit Earthship. Kern said a meeting at Pendleton Community Library on April 8 — the day before Cook’s death — attracted more than 20 former students, representing 10 bands, and that the benefit has expanded to include a bake sale, silent auction and raffle.

Kern, now 39, began taking lessons from Cook as a 16-year-old with attention-deficit disorder. Today, Kern plays with the Indianapolis-based band, Day Job Blues, which performs regularly at the Slippery Noodle.

“He was able to take a teenager and make him focus on an instrument that was just hanging off his shoulder, that he didn’t know what to do with, he just wanted to play it,” Kern said. “He channeled that in one direction. He taught and he pushed where needed. He was more than a friend, he was a teacher and a mentor.”

Kern said the concert will likely take place in June.

In the meantime, Lineberry said, her father will be remembered in accordance with the way he lived. Instead of a burial, Cook will be cremated and his life honored with a ceremony at Fall’s Park in Pendleton on Earth Day, April 22.

“He said ‘Don’t put me in a box on someone else’s property’ and we’re doing the best we can,” Lineberry said of her father. “Earth Day is perfect, it’s what he was all about.”

Lineberry said she and her husband relocated to Anderson from Rensallear 18 months ago. Cook also has a son who lives in Anderson.

In March 2009, Cook announced plans to build a hybrid-electric car he called “The Cook Electric Arrow.” Blakely said Cook was trying to raise funds to support the project. During a presentation at Carmel Clay Public Library in Carmel, Cook suggested the car would be something of a companion piece to “The Giant.”

“When you get home, you plug the house into the car,” he said.

Tax-deductible donations to Earthship can be made at any First Merchants Bank location, and donations to help Cook’s family pay for his funeral services can be made at any Ameriana Bank location.

Contact Justin Schneider: 640-4809, justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com

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