A Heritage of Light by Thomas Cook

A Heritage of Light by Thomas Cook

On a bitterly cold day in the winter of 1710-1711 in the Colony of Virginia, brothers, Abraham and Benjamin Cooke are summoned from their labor in their blacksmith shop to their favorite uncle's death bed. John Cooke entrusts them with a secret mission to find his Native American mistress, Nuttah and their son Hassan and convey his bequests for them. Benjamin and Abraham relying upon their Quaker faith, divine providence and their survivalist's skills launch upon this adventure into the wilderness not knowing where their trip will take them. They meet seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way including treacherous betrayal by a Native American hunting party, who at first befriends them and invites them into their camp, but later decide to bind them up and sell them as slaves to another tribe.

Almost simultaneously Benjamin and Abraham's brothers, William and Nathan have their ship impounded for violation of English Navigational Acts by a ruthless captain of an English Man of War ship.

Their Great Uncle Isaac provides them counsel to brace them for their coming ordeal. He tells them of their family saga of faith and practice as Quakers (Society of Friends) Because of their family's spiritual heritage their ancestors through the early years in Colonial Virginia have stirred up controversy with their Anglican neighbors, particularly for their civil disobedience against the norms and ordinances of Anglican social stratification. Their radical beliefs that all persons regardless of race or gender are equal and precious to God and endowed with His Holy Light and thus should be treated with respect; even towards Native Americans and African slaves. Their ancestors accepted that all people have received revelation of God and are subject to judgment and reconciliation. Thus they believed in the freedom of conscience for all persons and the liberty to practice their faith. Their Quaker ancestors both male and female have been missionaries of this good news into the other Colonies and particularly to North Carolina. It is because of their social conscience that their family has willfully disobeyed the English Navigational Acts. Uncle Isaac commends them to not submit to fear under persecution but to trust the Light within them to keep the faith.

The English captain has a hidden agenda of impressing their ship to arm it to use in the employment of Queen Anne's Wars. William and Nathan adamantly oppose his orders because of their deep rooted pacifist's convictions. He kidnaps them and brutally abuses them. He locks them in the hold of his ship with the intent of breaking their resolve. He spares no acts of cruelty in his perverse attempts to break their will.

Meanwhile a deadly epidemic of Small Pox sweeps across the Colony of Virginia and if it continues as usual it will kill a third of the population. The aforementioned Cooke brothers' Aunt Sarah and their Great Aunt Esther by marriage who both are Quaker physicians decide to call a special meeting of the three local Quaker Meeting groups to organize the efforts of the women of these groups to take preemptive action to stem the tide of the deadly epidemic.

By an unexpected twist of divine providence, Abraham and Benjamin are led to their appointed destination; not as expected to slavery, but to unimaginable blessings which will change the course of their lives and of their Quaker community forever.

Thomas A. Cook has been involved in international business and global supply chain management for more than 30 years. He is a graduate of the NYS Merchant Marine Academy with a BS and MS in transportation and business management. He has spent more than six years in the U. S. Naval Reserve and the U. S. Merchant Marines. He founded American River International, a premiere logistics and supply chain management consulting company, in 1982. Last year he stepped down from his position as CEO and managing director and sold his company to existing shareholders.

Cook is a subject matter expert on global trade management, and has published more than 12 books and 300 articles about international business, supply chain management, RFP, negotiation, and world business development. He has sat or currently sits on numerous boards and advisory groups that assist corporations, associations, and industry trade groups in the best practices of running their businesses. He sits or has sat on the board of, or is involved in corporate training with, the following companies: American Management Association (AMA), American Pet Products Association (APPA), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and National Association of Purchasing Managers (NAPM), to name a few.

Cook has experience in a number of subjects concerned with general management, including sales, negotiations, customer service, operations, supply chain, logistics, RFP management, business development, and training. He is cofounder of the World Academy, which equips international business executives and operational personnel in supply chain with the skills necessary to operate successfully in global trade.

Currently, Cook is managing director of Blue Tiger International (www.bluetigerintl.com), a management consulting organization focused on international purchasing and RFP enhancements. He is also working on an eight book series entitled The Global Warrior (Taylor & Francis/ CRC Press). Each book gives strategies on the skill sets necessary for the corporate executive of the future to compete in global trade.