[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ZACHARY L. COOPER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the memory 
of a remarkable citizen, Mr. Zachary L. Cooper of Madison, Wisconsin. 
Mr. Cooper was an educator and scholar who devoted his life to the 
study and teaching of black history. He was widely known as one of the 
state's most prominent chroniclers of African-American history.
  Zachary Cooper was born in Brunswick, GA, in 1935, and eventually 
settled in Madison, Wisconsin. After spending 2 years in the Army 
Medical Corps, Mr. Cooper went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 
European history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He followed 
that with a master's degree in American history and earned his Ph.D in 
curriculum and instruction from the Ohio State University-Columbus.
  Mr. Cooper spent much of his career documenting the history of black 
settlers, authoring ``Black Settlers in Rural Wisconsin'' and creating 
a documentary called ``Coming Together, Coming Apart'' which used oral 
histories, photos and diaries to preserve evidence of early black 
families in Wisconsin. Mr. Cooper was also a lecturer for a variety of 
institutions including the Wisconsin Historical Society, the University 
of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, Madison Area Technical College, and the 
Madison School District.
  Mr. Cooper's passion was working with children. As president of the 
board of directors at the Early Childhood Learning Center, he was able 
to impact the lives of all the children at the center.
  In the spring of 1992, Cooper co-founded JAMAD (Jamaica-Madison 
Cultural Exchange), a program that creates connections between 
hardworking students in Wisconsin and Jamaica. Through the program, 
students establish pen pal relationships which culminate in the 
students from Wisconsin making a trip to Jamaica to learn more about 
their peers and the culture.
  With the passing of Zachary L. Cooper, the world has lost a great 
scholar, and Wisconsin has lost a great teacher, citizen, and friend.

                          ____________________