Anthony Cook

 

 

      A Vermont native I was born in 1967 at the Bennington hospital. From an early age my parents taught me about sacrifice for a better cause. With three kids in tow my parents moved to Cedine Bible institute & Bible camp in the eastern hills of Tennessee. My father an army veteran attended college there under the GI bill. Cedine Bible Camp gave mostly inner-city kids the opportunity to enjoy camp life and learn Bible lessons.  My parents worked hard at Cedine and no dough helped change many children's lives for the better. My father graduated in 1974. My brother, sister and I loved our early years in Cedine. My father spent his life preaching the Lord's salvation to anyone who would listen. My parents would have loved me to follow in my dad's footsteps and become a paster, but it was never meant to be. I have had a passion for history and politics my entire adult life. Over time my father wished I would use this gift to make a difference, run for office. My dad passed in 2020 but I know he would approve.

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     I lived in Pownal six years before moving to North Bennington at the age of 14. Graduated MAUHS in 1987. After high school I went to United technical School in West Springfield Mass to learn auto body. I stayed long enough to learn Rust repair. My dream was restoring classic cars and reselling them for profit. I spent ten years working at National Hangar factory while restoring a couple cars. Let's just say I never made a profit on the cars. Plan B was going to college. I took classes part time while working 45 plus hours a week at the National Hanger shipping department. In 2004 I graduated from Community College of Vermont with an AD in business management.

     In 2008 I opened Classic Metal Restorations at its current Shaftsbury Vermont location. My shop is a copper and nickel electroplating operation. When people restore antique cars, motorcycles, bicycles, stoves etc from the Nickel era, the old plating needs to be stripped then replated. I also specialize in antique vehicle light restoration from the brass and nickel era. My shop is established with a great reputation in providing great quality work on valuable old parts.

     Many people in Bennington know me from my old, weakened Domino's Pizza delivery job. This job got me out of the shop and into the public. Being a long-time delivery driver gave me a great education into everyday life and culture of the Bennington area.