[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 10 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO VERNON COOPER, JR.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a world 
traveler who always comes home to his beloved Hazard, KY, Vernon 
Cooper, Jr.
  Mr. Cooper has fought in Asia in World War II, skinned seals with 
Eskimos in the Arctic, and climbed mountains in the Andes. But after 
all those vast experiences, his Perry County home in eastern Kentucky 
holds a prime place in his heart, and he expresses this through great 
generosity.
  Mr. Cooper, 81 and the former president of Hazard's People's Bank and 
Trust Co., is happy to give back to his community. A year ago, he 
learned that the sheriff of Perry County planned to lay off all of his 
deputies at Christmastime because of a strained budget. Mr. Cooper 
donated $20,000 to the county to keep the deputies in uniform over the 
holidays.
  A 1941 graduate of Hazard High School, Mr. Cooper donated $120,000 to 
install lights on the school's baseball fields. Parents are thrilled 
they can now watch their children's night games. And if they ever want 
to thank their patron, they don't have far to look--Mr. Cooper still 
attends games, wearing his Hazard High School jersey with the name 
``Bruiser''--his World War II nickname across the back.
  Mr. Cooper has also filled in as a guest host at WLJC, a Beattyville, 
KY, Christian radio station. When he learned of their hopes to reach a 
larger audience, he donated $50,000 for a new transmitter. Now three 
times as many homes as before receive WLJC's signal.
  Perhaps Mr. Cooper's largest gift of all was the gift of life. He 
donated over $200,000 to the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Regional 
Medical Center in Hazard to build an open-heart surgery unit.
  Before Mr. Cooper's gift, Hazard-area residents had to travel over 60 
miles for an open-heart procedure. The new unit admitted its first 
patient this month, and its director hopes to perform around 100 open-
heart surgeries this year.
  Kentucky's greatest resource has always been its compassionate, 
friendly people. To any who doubt this, I direct them to look at Vernon 
Cooper, Jr., as a model for all of us to follow. I ask the Senate to 
join me in recognizing a man who generously wants to give as much back 
to Kentucky as it has given to him.
  Mr. President, recently the Courier-Journal published a story about 
Mr. Cooper, ``Hazard Man, 81, shares his millions with others.'' I ask 
unanimous consent that the full article be included in the 
Congressional Record.

There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in the 
                          Record, as follows:

               [From the Courier-Journal, Jan. 22, 2005]

  Hazard Man, 81, Shares his Millions With Others; Deputies, Schools, 
                           Hospital Get Gifts

                            (By Alan Maimon)

       Hazard, KY--When Vernon Cooper Jr. takes interest in a 
     cause, he lets his checkbook do the talking.
       Because of Cooper's largess, eight Perry County sheriff's 
     deputies kept their jobs during Christmas 2003, a Beattyville 
     television station tripled its potential viewership, and 
     school baseball and softball teams in Hazard now play under 
     the lights.
       His latest gift--of more than $200,000--helped build an 
     open-heart surgery unit at a Hazard hospital.
       Cooper, who is 81 and former president of People's Bank and 
     Trust Co. in Hazard, said he is a multimillionaire who has 
     made a hobby out of giving back to his community.
       ``I've been around the world, but this is the most special 
     place in the world to me,'' Cooper said at his mountaintop 
     home.
       ``Hazard is my home, and where's there a need I like to 
     help.''
       Just over a year ago, Perry County Sheriff Pat Wooton was 
     facing a blue Christmas as he prepared to lay off all his 
     deputies because of a tight budget.
       Cooper heard about the situation and pledged $20,000 to 
     Perry Fiscal Court to keep the officers on the job until 
     officials could allocate more money to the department.
       ``He's a very civic-minded individual and has been for a 
     long time,'' Wooton said. ``He has made significant 
     contributions to so many areas in Perry County.''
       Cooper said he has given hundreds of such gifts over the 
     years.


                             Bruiser's gift

       A deep-rooted sense of school spirit led him to make the 
     largest contribution in the 92-year history of the Hazard 
     Independent School District.
       Cooper, a 1941 graduate of Hazard High School and a former 
     school board member, wrote a $120,000 check in 2003 for the 
     installation of lights at the high school's baseball and 
     softball fields.
       District Superintendent James Francis said the lights have 
     helped Hazard attract regional tournaments and allowed 
     working parents to see more of their children's games.
       ``No one has been more instrumental in the progress the 
     school district has made,'' Francis said.
       Cooper still prowls the sidelines of Hazard football games 
     wearing a jersey with ``Bruiser''--his World War II 
     nickname--across the back.


                              UK donation

       In 1999, Cooper's generosity had unintended consequences 
     when he mailed a $500 check to the University of Kentucky to 
     help pay for a summer football camp.
       An internal investigation of the football program showed 
     the check was endorsed by former UK football recruiting 
     coordinator Claude Bassett and sent to a high school football 
     coach in Memphis, Tenn.
       University officials said any gifts to UK should pass 
     through its Office of Development and be deposited in 
     university accounts. Cooper was not accused of any 
     wrongdoing.
       Bassett was fired, but Cooper did not let the incident 
     dampen his generous spirit.
       ``I learned a lesson that not everybody can be trusted, but 
     most people can,'' he said.
       The incident also reaffirmed for Cooper the importance of 
     getting receipts for his donations.
       ``That's all I ask for in return,'' he said. ``I need a 
     receipt, so I won't have problems with the government.''
       Cooper, a 1949 UK graduate, said he now opts to build 
     strong relationships with organizations before parting with 
     his money.
       Cooper recently gave $50,000 to WLJC, a television and 
     radio station in Beattyville whose call letters stand for 
     Wonderful Lord Jesus Christ.
       Jonathan Drake, manager of WLJC, said the money helped buy 
     a transmitter that nearly tripled the number of homes the 
     station reaches.
       ``He is a man with a very large heart,'' Drake said. ``He 
     got to know us, was a guest host for us and then really 
     helped out.''


                             Hospital gift

       One of Cooper's largest gifts to date arrived in several 
     installments to the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Regional 
     Medical Center in Hazard.
       Charles Housley, the hospital chain's executive director of 
     development, said the gift went toward building an open-heart 
     surgery unit in an area that has lacked such a facility. 
     Cooper said the amount was $200,000, but Housley said it was 
     more, declining to be specific.
       Ashland, Pikeville, and London--each more than 60 miles 
     from Hazard--had been the only Eastern Kentucky towns to 
     offer the open-heart procedure.
       ``We hope to give him some recognition for that,'' Housley 
     said.
       The Hazard hospital admitted its first open-heart patient 
     earlier this month and expects to perform around 100 
     surgeries this year, Housley said.


                              What's next?

       Cooper said his fondness for philanthropy stems from a love 
     of the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, something he first 
     recognized during a four-day train trip to a California naval 
     base in 1943.
       When the then 22-year-old sailor returned from World War II 
     service in Asia, he dreamed of seeing the world but vowed 
     always to return to the Appalachian communities he held dear.
       A blind date in 1945 led to marriage. Cooper said he and 
     his wife separated about 25 years ago but remain married. His 
     wife could not be reached for comment.
       In his home, Cooper has pictures of himself climbing some 
     of the world's largest mountains. He said he has skinned 
     seals with Eskimos, and he has a jacket identifying him as an 
     honorary colonel in the Argentine army.
       But during his travels from the Arctic to the Andes and the 
     Alps, he said he has always had Kentucky on his mind.
       Standing beneath the observatory above his home on a recent 
     afternoon, Cooper contemplated his next act of good will.
       ``I have some things in mind,'' he said. ``There are a lot 
     of worthwhile places out there.''

                          ____________________