Born in Port Dalhousie, Ontario to Philip and Ziva Dyke, she was married to Ralph Kent Cooke, son of Jack Kent Cooke, a Canadian businessman and onetime owner of the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Lakers, for thirteen years until their divorce in 1972.
"[1] These experiences led her to establish the Foundation for Children With Learning Disabilities in 1977, organizing a charity ball in Manhattan to raise funds.
[citation needed][2] In her twelve years as chairwoman, the organization provided grants for public awareness programs in schools, daycare centers, museums, and summer camps.
It ran parent-education workshops, created book collections for children with matching tapes and film strips, and held training sessions for librarians.
It focuses on early screening programs (about three hundred fifty thousand children were tested in 2006); informing parents on how to deal with school systems, and promoting public policies connected with the rights of the learning disabled.