Original Gerber Baby, Who Died at 95, Wanted to be Remembered as a Teacher

Her iconic face helped launch a popular baby food product, but Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby, wants to be best remembered as a great teacher who guided and mentored her students.

Turner Cook died of natural causes at the age of 95 on June 3, 2022, and her children said that among her work and achievements, she counts being a teacher as her most important legacy.

The mom of four taught English literature for 26 years at the Hillsborough High School in Tampa Bay, and it was there that rumors swirled that she was the original Gerber baby. Eventually, Turner Cook introduced herself to new students year after year with the anecdote of how her face was in the packages of the Gerber brand, per Tampa Bay Times.

As a teacher, Turner Cook was known to students as someone who could relate to them quite well. She also worked without complaints and stayed up late to grade papers or guide her staff in the yearbook program. So, when she passed away, some of her former students posted tributes on social media.

"She was the person who influenced me the most - other than my parents," said one student, Lenora Lake-Guidry.

Becoming the Gerber Baby

In 1928, Gerber was looking for a baby's face for a new product and a family friend and neighbor, Dorothy Hope-Smith, kept some old charcoal sketches of Turner Cook as a 5-month-old. Hope-Smith sent in her drawings, which the company eventually picked. After a widely positive response to the Gerber baby's face, the company decided to trademark Turner Cook's image in 1931.

However, for 40 years, her identity was kept hidden from the public, sparking speculations that the Gerber baby might have been Elizabeth Taylor. According to ABC 10, Turner Cook asked for secrecy because she was concerned about getting ridiculed.

Turner Cook said she was paid $5,000 for her Gerber image, which, at that time, was enough to pay off her college fees and buy her first car with her husband, James Cook, who used to be in the Navy.

Becoming a Published Author

By 1989, Turner Cook retired as a teacher and started her new career as a writer. The couple traveled to small towns in Florida, and these places served as Turner Cook's inspiration for her mystery stories.

While she counts teaching as her legacy, Turner Cook said she was most satisfied with writing and creating stories that people loved to read. Her main muse for her novels was a titular character named Brandy O'Bannon, who was a newspaper reporter.

In 1976, Turner Cook spoke to People and said she really didn't do anything to gain her popularity as a Gerber baby. Incidentally, she also revealed that all of her children were fed with Gerber.

A decade ago, Turner Cook helped the company launch its search for the next Gerber baby contest, and every year since then, the company looks for a new face to represent the brand.