Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper, beloved businessman and philanthropist, whose 60 years in the Oklahoma car, tire and electronics businesses made him one of the state's most well-known names, and friend to thousands of people from all walks of life, died on Friday at his home in Oklahoma City. He was 82. Jackie, known to most as Jack, began his career in his father's repair shop in Yukon in 1942, sweeping and stocking parts. His father, Claude Cooper, acquired an Oldsmobile dealership in 1948, and Jack started selling cars at the age of 16. He attended college at OU and Central State (now UCO) on basketball scholarships with plans to be a basketball coach. But before Jack could graduate, his father became ill, and Jack came home to sell the business. Jack bought the business, making him, at 21, the youngest GM dealer in the country. Jack built the franchise into one of the largest Oldsmobile dealerships in the country, establishing Yukon as a destination for thousands of car buyers, with a state-of-the-art showroom on Route 66 and iconic, towering Cooperville sign. Cooper dealerships include BMW, Mini, Mercedes, Porsche, Maserati, Infiniti, Nissan and Ford brands. "My father has sold hundreds of thousands of cars in his life," estimates his son, Joe Cooper, who has continued the family business tradition. Jack was born in Yukon in 1932 to Minnie and Claude Cooper, where he met his high-school sweetheart and wife of 62 years, Barbara Jo Perry. He and Barbara had four children, Cindy, Jerry, Joe, and Jon. He is survived by Barbara; daughter, Cindy Colton; sons Joe and Jon; grandchildren Graham, Garrett, Greer, Jack, Jr., Sam and Raya; and great-grandchildren Colette, Gray and Levi. Jack was known for his quick wit and sense of humor. "If he gave you a hard time, you knew he liked you," observes his youngest son, Jon. More than selling though, Jack loved meeting people and cared deeply about their well-being. After his oldest son, Jerry, died of AIDS in 1989, he and wife Barbara founded the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund, which has raised over $11 million for education and support for those affected by the disease. "Nobody would put it in the newspaper that a person had died of AIDS," explained Jack at the time. His tenacious efforts have made the organization's annual fundraiser, Red Tie Night, the largest fundraiser in Oklahoma, and transformed the state's attitudes towards those suffering. He may be best known, however, for his nearly blind generosity to people struggling to make ends meet; working to rebuild their lives; or trying to reach a personal goal to help their own families. "My father taught me to see the best in everyone because one never knows the hardships they may have in their lives. What drove him to work so hard was so he could help make others' lives better," observes his daughter, Cindy. Jack was enormously proud to be from Yukon, and cared deeply about Oklahoma and its history. In 2004, Jack lead financing to disassemble and restore the old Curtiss-Wright Field hanger, which was used by Wiley Post from 1929-35, and Navy PT-13s during the war. Jack also gave time and energy to Oklahoma's universities and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; received recognition as Business Person of the Year from the Yukon Chamber of Commerce; Senior Entrepreneur of the Year from the Oklahoma Small Business Association; and Outstanding Volunteer from the National Society of Fundraising Executives in 2001. Civic positions include board of advisors of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, and eight years serving on the Oklahoma Highway Commission. Jack's deepest joys came from sports, travel and family. His unbridled enthusiasm for OU and its football and sports traditions help put tickets in the hands of thousands of customers, friends and strangers. And his face would light when describing eating at La Grenouille in New York, or getting a new BMW in Munich and driving with his wife, Barbara, in the back roads of European villages. "Our best times were being lost, but somehow finding Wiener Schnitzel or pizza in the most beautiful settings imaginable," remembers Barbara. Memorial services are scheduled for Thursday at 10am at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please send kind support to the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund (okaidscare.com), whose annual event is March 7.