JACK COOPER

COOPER--Dr. Jack, co-author of one of the foundational works in biochemical neuropharmacology, and a Yale University Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, died February 12 at his home in Woodbridge, CT. He was born in Ottawa, Canada, on July 26, 1924, to Harry and Jean (Levine) Cooper. Harry Cooper brought over from Russia and supported many siblings, nephews and nieces, but he never quite understood his playful, curious, intellectually vibrant son who fell in love with science as a boy and would rather concoct experiments (one of which blew a hole in the family porch) than join his father in the fur business. Dr. Cooper graduated from Queens University in Kingston, Ont., and earned his PhD. at George Washington University in 1954. He was a Fellow at the National Institutes of Health working under Bernard Brodie and Julius Axelrod and in New York with Efraim Racker. Dr. Cooper joined the pharmacology department at Yale Medical School in 1956. His classic book "The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology," co-authored with Floyd E. Bloom and Robert H. Roth and first published in 1970, has by now influenced generations of neuropharmacologists. It was admired for investigating not just drugs and molecules but also physiology, function and basic concepts of mind. A reviewer of the eighth edition in 2004 wrote, "Being asked to review the new edition of this book is akin to sending a Shakespearean scholar a new edition of Hamlet revised by the Bard himself." Dr. Cooper was a pioneer in studying the role of thiamine in the nervous system, demonstrating that agents that interfere with the function of thiamine impede the ability of neurons to propagate signals along their axons. The importance of thiamine for the normal functioning of the brain--and the effects of thiamine deficiency in dementia, alcoholic brain disease and other conditions--are now widely recognized. A witty lecturer, Dr. Cooper was known for cramming 90 minutes of material into an hour. As a young student, he relied on his skills at contract bridge to supplement his living expenses at University; he also taught himself to play jazz clarinet (badly) and tennis (very well). Since Jews were excluded from Ottawa's elite country club, as a teenager he joined the newly formed Tel Aviv Tennis Association. Covering matches, the Ottawa French-Canadian newspaper would report, "Jacques Cooper, juif, a gagne...." His group of tennis partners evolved over the decades but Dr. Cooper proudly retained the title Jacques le Juif. He played tennis into his 90s. Dr. Cooper's love for scientific inquiry was all- encompassing. The delight he took in conducting experiments precluded him from following directions even when driving--and his frequent, cheery announcement, "I've thought of a shortcut!" was met by groans from children and grandchildren. His approach conveyed an important lesson, and not just about science. "If an experiment succeeds, you learn only one thing," he said. "An experiment that fails teaches you more, including what questions and experiments you could try next." Dr. Cooper was a visiting professor in 1965 at the Maudsley Hospital in London; in 1973 at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute; at the National Institute for Medical Research in London in 1987; and in 1994 at Imperial College, London. In the early 80's, the eminent opthamologist Dr. Mohandes Kini, a former student, paid tribute to Dr Cooper by establishing at the Yale Medical School a yearly lectureship in Dr. Cooper's name. Since these kinds of tributes are often made post-mortem, Dr. Cooper enjoyed referring to the series as "the Jack R. Cooper Pre-Memorial Lectures." Dr Cooper is survived by his adoring and grateful family: wife Helen Cooper, daughters Marilyn Hall (Arthur), Sheila Cooper, and Nancy Cooper (Sam Seibert), and granddaughters Sophia and Anna Seibert.