[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 140 (Friday, August 30, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF CORNELIA DOZIER COOPER

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                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 30, 2019

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of Eastern Kentucky's most dedicated philanthropes of the arts, 
Cornelia Dozier Cooper, who has been awarded the prestigious Milner 
Award, presented by Governor Matt Bevin as part of the 2018-2019 
Governor's Awards in the Arts. This award recognizes individuals and 
organizations who make extraordinary and significant contributions to 
the arts in Kentucky.
  Cornelia Dozier Cooper has embodied passion for the visual, fine, and 
performing arts throughout her impressive career in Pulaski County. Not 
only is Cornelia an accomplished artist herself, having studied English 
watercolor at Oxford University and shadowing an impressive and diverse 
group of artists ranging from local masters at the University of 
Kentucky to artists in France and Italy, but an ardent proponent of the 
development of art and art education across Kentucky. Patrons and 
artists from across the state are grateful for Cornelia's lifetime 
support of art: for the time and financial resources that she and her 
late husband, Richard Cooper, have given to promote community arts and 
cultural growth in the region. Through their tremendous influence, the 
Coopers have encouraged involvement in the arts and created an 
enriching, exciting environment in which the people of the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky may participate and enjoy for generations to come.
  Among her long list of accolades includes that she is a founding 
member of the Kentucky Arts Council, founding member and President of 
the Lake Cumberland Performing Arts Series, Inc, the only female member 
of the Governor's Mansion Commission to ``Save the Mansion,'' was 
appointed by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees top serve on 
the McDowell Cancer Network Board, President of the Somerset Garden 
Club, Chair of the Fountain Square Foundation in Somerset, Kentucky, an 
original member of the Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, and a 
member of the University of Kentucky Museum Board. She is President of 
the Cornelia Dozier Cooper Endowment Fund, a nonprofit organization to 
benefit and promote the arts in Pulaski County and the surrounding 
region. The Endowment awards several $1000 grants each year to support 
and encourage the arts in Eastern Kentucky and regularly supports local 
artists and an array of outstanding programs in professional arts and 
cultural events in Somerset, Kentucky, and the surrounding region. 
Cornelia donates the proceeds of her paintings' sales to the Endowment 
Fund. Cornelia has been awarded the Master Musicians Festival Lifetime 
Achievement Award and the East Kentucky Foundation Outstanding Citizen 
Award in 2006. The ``Cooper Building'' on the campus of Somerset 
Community College was dedicated to the philanthropy of Cornelia and 
Richard Cooper for their philanthropy to both Somerset Community 
College and the University of Kentucky.
  At 93 years old, this lifelong Kentuckian, Cornelia Dozier Cooper, is 
known and beloved by all for her ``tireless enthusiasm,'' and is 
regarded as a ``personal hero and mentor'' to many throughout Eastern 
Kentucky. In addition to serving the community, she is a mother of two 
children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
  The Milner Award is an honor fitting for Ms. Cornelia Dozier Cooper 
in recognition of a lifetime of devotion to art, education, and the 
positive impact that she has made, and is continuing to provide, on 
Eastern Kentucky through her service to the arts. I am deeply grateful 
for Cornelia's love and commitment to the arts. My wife, Cynthia, and I 
wish Cornelia and her family immense joy and blessings in the years to 
come.

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