HOW WE SEE IT Cooper Added New Aspect To Arkansas

While their name might not roll off the tongue as easily as Walton or Tyson or Hunt, the Cooper family has changed and continues to influence the face of Arkansas.

John A. Cooper Jr., the second generation leader of Cooper Communities, died early this week at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a breathing ailment. He was 74.

Tradition typically embraces the practice of giving most accolades to an organization’s founder, and John A. Cooper Sr. no doubt deserved respect for his vision.

He was the first real estate developer to plan modern retirement communities that now have become a standard across the nation. The elder Cooper was credited with creating a major industry that brought thousands of people to Arkansas.

But the junior Cooper joined Cooper Communities in 1964, just 10 years after his father created the Cherokee Village Development Co., which developed the first retirement community in the nation.

The company opened Bella Vista Village in 1965 and Hot Springs Village in 1970. Cooper Jr.

became its president and chairman of the board in 1968 and oversaw much of the work to develop Bella Vista and the village in Hot Springs.

A 1981 article in the statewide Arkansas Gazette noted the Cooper family had drawn an entirely different group of residents to Arkansas.

The family company drew thousands from the midwest to the milder climate of Arkansas.

There would no doubt be much, much less golf being played in Arkansas if it weren’t for the Coopers.

John A. Cooper Jr. deserves significant recognition for his contributions to positive growth in Arkansas and, no doubt, in the many other states the company developed communities.

Here in Northwest Arkansas, the population drawn by the Coopers has been a driver of economic growth and political influence for the region.

“Because of that, we had amenities that communities our size could not and did not have,” said Jim Walton, chairman of Arvest Bank Group, as he recalled a man with great business sense.

But the younger Cooper also deserves praise for his work in conserving Arkansas natural resources. He was a charter member of the Arkansas Nature Conservancy and promoted efforts to provide public lands protected from development and available for the people of the state to enjoy.

Yes, it is sometimes tempting to look at founders as larger than life, but John A. Cooper Jr. followed his father’s vision with strength and wisdom, and took care of Arkansas while he was doing it.

The funeral was Thursday, appropriately at a church in Bella Vista. The family designated memorials in his honor to the Arkansas Nature Conservancy.

Even now, his contributions will be felt. The company still operates under a third generation as it continues to have a great impact on the state.

Our condolences to Mr. Cooper’s family, and our appreciation that he was a part of Northwest Arkansas in a positive way.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 01/11/2013

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