In memoriam: William S. Cooper Sr. (B.S. ’57)
MCV School of Pharmacy alumnus William Sherman Cooper, 81, died Nov. 22, 2009, in Richmond, Va. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, LaVerne; son Bill Jr. and significant other Adele Johnson; son Kenneth E. Cooper Sr. and wife Glenda; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He also was survived by an older sister, Magdalene C. Benns; a younger brother, Fred A. Cooper and wife Esther; and a host of nephews, nieces and in-laws.
Cooper left many legacies, not the least of which is a School of Pharmacy scholarship created in his name in 1987 by former fellow students. Because he was the first African-American student to graduate from the school – and because of his commitment to breaking down barriers — Cooper’s classmates designated the scholarship for future students of color. Three years ago, the class of ‘57 went a step further, creating a permanent endowment for the William S. Cooper Scholarship Fund.
“He loved the class of ’57,” said his wife. “They were very good to him.”
She recalls one incident wherein class members on a field trip had stopped for ice cream. “[The store] said they couldn’t serve my husband. So the whole class left. … He was very attached to them.”
In 1987, she said, the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran a story about Cooper and his experiences. It was titled, “On Being Accepted.”
Cooper began his higher education at Virginia Union University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1949. VUU played another important role in his life: That’s where he met his future wife, LaVerne. She was a freshman from Amelia County; he was a junior from Northumberland County.
Finding a dearth of jobs for black chemists, Cooper joined the U.S. Army in 1950 where, as a sergeant, he spent two years at Fort Sill, Okla., preparing troops to participate in the Korean War. After five years of courting, he and LaVerne (who graduated from VUU in 1951) were married in 1952.
An obituary written by the couple’s older son, Bill Jr., notes that Cooper worked as a parking attendant to help feed his family while attending pharmacy school. Following his graduation from MCV, his 38-year career as a pharmacist began in Hampton, continued in Petersburg and ended in Richmond. (The family always remained in Richmond, while Cooper commuted.)
In 1968, Cooper and two partners bought Maymont Pharmacy, which eventually was razed to make way for the RMA Expressway and other developments. Cooper ended up working at Drug Fair … which became Grey Drug … which became Rite Aid.
“During these pre-computer days of filling prescriptions,” wrote his son Bill Jr., “he became the People’s Pharmacist, as he took a personal interest in every pill that he counted and every elixir that he poured. … Many nights Doc came home later than expected from his shifts at Maymont because he would be delivering prescriptions to the elderly or shut-in.”
Unfortunately, in 2006 Cooper suffered the first of a series of strokes. On Nov. 8, 2009, his family took him to the hospital, where he developed more problems. He – and his family – spent 10 days in hospice at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital.
Even in illness, LaVerne Cooper said, her husband’s personality shone through. “Every health institution he went – hospital, rehab or what – at least one nurse would come to me and say, ‘He had to have been a very kind man. I can see it in his face.’
“That sort of struck me after three people said it. Even the hospice nurse commented on it, and he wasn’t talking then.
“They could also see that he was a gentleman. Even when he couldn’t stand, he would try when a lady walked into the room!”
In addition to being a family man, Cooper loved music, poker and good conversation. When he died, he was the oldest living member of the Thursday Evening Whist Club, a group he’d been part of for more than four decades.
“He was best known for his attention to detail in his stories,” wrote his son Bill Jr., “and, of course, his branded sense of humor. … In the months before his last stroke, he was even able to laugh at himself when able to realize that what he just said made no sense whatsoever.”
Cooper also was active at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he had served as a deacon, a trustee and in the drama ministry.
Proof of Cooper’s affect on friends, family and co-workers is evident in the online comments attached to his newspaper obituary. As an example, Yolanda Taylor of Richmond wrote, “My sincerest condolences for your loss. For me, going back to Maymont Pharmacy at Idlewood and Meadow, your father has always been a pillar in the community.”
John Ejezie is also likely to remember Cooper as a community pillar: The most recent recipient of the William S. Cooper Scholarship Fund, Ejezie (Pharm.D. ’09) is now at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.
To support the scholarship in his name, Cooper’s family requested donations in lieu of flowers at his funeral. Additional gifts may be made to: William S. Cooper Scholarship Fund, c/o VCU School of Pharmacy, P.O. Box 980581, Richmond, VA 23298.
Categories Alumni news, archive, Student news