Edwin Lowell Cooper

Edwin Lowell Cooper was born on December 23, 1936, in Oakland, Texas; the eldest child of Ruth Esther Porche Cooper and Edwin Ellis Cooper. The family later moved to Houston, Texas where Edwin attended Jack Yates High School, graduating with honors at the age of 16. He earned his B.S. degree in Biology from Texas Southern University in 1957 with honors and continued his education, obtaining an M.S. degree in Biology from Atlanta University in 1959. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University in 1963 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA School of Medicine.
Dr. Cooper's academic career began at UCLA's Department of Anatomy (now Neurobiology) in 1964. He became a full professor in 1973 and served as Vice Chairman from 1989 to 1993. He played a pivotal role in medical education, chairing the first histology course for medical students and teaching immunobiology to the inaugural dental class.
He met and married Helene Tournaire of Clermont-Ferrand, France on September 13, 1969. Their beautiful love story saw the birth of two children, Astrid Madeleine and Amaury Tournaire. Edwin and Helene enjoyed a 55-year marriage filled with love and partnership. They traveled extensively, and along with their children, lived in extraordinary places such as Sweden, Switzerland, Egypt, and Italy.
Dr. Edwin L. Cooper was a scientist, leader, mentor, innovator, researcher, professor, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle. He loved his daughter, son, and daughter-in-law Abigail. He absolutely adored his grandsons, Theodore and Adrien, and was a hopeless romantic when it came to his wife, Helene. He lived life on his terms and forged an unspoken pathway. He has left an indelible mark on all those he encountered and will be greatly missed.