Charles E. COOPER

1947 - 2017

COOPER, Charles E.
Charles Edward "Chuck" Cooper, a long-time Austin art dealer, collector, gallery owner and one-time staff member at St. Stephen's Episcopal School, died Sunday, December 4, 2016 at Parsons House, his home since 2015.
Chuck was born on Nov. 6, 1947 in Kingsville, TX to Edward Henry Cooper and Janice Lee Clarke. His family moved to Harlingen where he attended school and graduated from Harlingen High School in 1965. According to his family Chuck enjoyed many hours at the Harlingen Public Library nurturing his love for books and reading. He attended Texas A&I College in Kingsville before joining the U.S. Air Force. He served in bases in Laredo, Wichita Falls and England where he learned to love all things English.
He is survived by his sister Nancy Bohnenberger (Barry) of Edinburg, TX, two nephews, two great nephews and two great nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved grandparents Mr. and Mrs. W.P. Cooper and Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Clarke, and stepfather Johnnie Rogers.

His family came to Texas in 1819 and settled in the small Central Texas town of Blue, between Elgin and Lexington, where a Texas Pioneer Monument has been placed to honor the family.
Chuck earned a BFA in art history at the University of Texas at Austin in 1971. He later worked for Patrick Gallery and was the founder of AIR Gallery in the1980s where he championed the work of some of Austin's most promising young artists. He served on the board of Austin Contemporary Visual Arts Association (later AVAA) where he helped curate exhibits that drew works of artists from all over the state. In the1990s he joined St. Stephen's as the director of the Scanlan Gallery. During his tenure there he designed and curated exhibitions that received local, regional and national attention.
Chuck had (and shared) a passion for the arts, all things English, a vast encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects and above all, he was devoted to his friends. In lieu of flowers he would have preferred donations in his honor to AIDS Services of Austin, KMFA-FM, KLRU, Austin Opera, Ballet East Dance Company or to your favorite local arts organization.
A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at the Helm Fine Arts Center on the campus of St. Stephen's Episcopal School, 6500 St Stephen's Dr, Austin, TX 78746. Sentiments and remembrances may be posted at https://www.facebook.com/events/393965694286887/