OPPORTUNITY CATCHES COOK BY SURPRISE

JEFFERSON CITY -- When Bekki Cook's telephone rang Tuesday, the last person she expected to be on the other end of the line was Gov. Mel Carnahan.

When the governor said he wanted to talk about the secretary of state's office that was vacated by Judith Moriarity's ouster, Cook assumed Carnahan wanted to discuss the possible appointment of Emily Firebaugh, a Fredericktown newspaper publisher, whose quest for the appointment Cook endorsed in a letter to the governor.

But Cook was shocked to learn the governor wanted her for the seat. "The governor called me out of the blue," she said Friday after her swearing-in ceremony.

Cook called her husband, John, at his law office to seek his advice. Before the day was over, she was in Carnahan's office in Jefferson City.

Talks continued Wednesday and Thursday, when Cook realized the secretary of state's job was a challenge she wanted.

Carnahan lauded that Cook, a virtual unknown in state politics, is an outsider who wasn't seeking the post.

"I have known Bekki for some time and I know she is a person who can get something done," Carnahan said. "She is a person of high integrity."

The governor said he didn't seriously begin focusing on a new secretary of state until after the Supreme Court decision Monday to oust Moriarty.

After reviewing a list of talented candidates, Carnahan decided Cook was someone with whom he needed to talk further.

"She is the only person I offered the job to," Carnahan said Friday. "She is my first choice."

Cook's two children, Hunter, 13, and Morgan, 12, first learned of the opportunity Tuesday afternoon when their father picked them up from school. Instead of picking out a Christmas tree, they talked about what life would be like if Mom became secretary of state.

"I couldn't talk for a few minutes," said Hunter, a junior high school student, when asked about his first reaction to news his mother was being considered. "It all happened really quick. I'm pretty excited. It's a great honor for my mom."

Morgan, a sixth-grade student at Washington School, admitted she was "terrified by the news at first," because it would mean a move to Jefferson City and being away from friends.

"The idea is kind of growing on me," Morgan said. "It is a little easier after a couple of days. It's a great honor for my mom and one of the reasons it's not hard to move."

Hunter was taking some comfort his mother would have a state car to drive, with license plate number 3. "That's pretty cool," he beamed.

John Cook, a Cape Girardeau attorney, joined the rest of his family in their initial shock. He also shares their pride at the opportunity given Bekki.

"Life is change," said Cook, who has relatives in McGirk, a small town about 10 miles west of Jefferson City, where Bekki will stay temporarily.

"I was certainly surprised," he said. "But it only took me a few minutes to understand why the governor would pick her. It makes good sense."

Cook said people will be pleasantly surprised to find out how capable an administrator his wife is.

He said his wife will prove that citizens outside of government can be effective in office.

"She is as brilliant conceptually and creatively as anybody I have ever known," he said.

As for the family Christmas tree, it is the Cook's top priority today. At 8 a.m. Monday, Bekki Cook, referred to officially as "Madam Secretary," will begin her first full week in a new career.