Hall of Fame

Jerome Gary Cooper
Most Pure Heart of Mary Class of ’54

J. Gary Cooper graduated second in his class from Most Pure Heart of Mary High School in 1954. He went to South Bend, Indiana, to attend the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 1958. He also graduated from the Senior Management Graduate program for Senior Executives in Government at Harvard University in 1979. In 2003, he attended the Directors' Education Institute at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Troy University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Law in 1990 .

From 1958 to 1970, Cooper was an active duty Marine Corps officer. He reached the rank of Major General and earned the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Silver and Bronze Stars. In Vietnam, he became the first African American officer in Marine Corps history to lead an infantry company into combat and later commanded a Marine reserve unit. He was promoted to Major General in 1988, and returned to active duty as Director of Personnel, Headquarters, U. S. Marine Corps.

From 1973 until his selection as Commissioner, Cooper served in the Alabama State Legislature. He was one of the first African Americans since Reconstruction elected from South Alabama. In 1978 the Governor of Alabama appointed him Commissioner of the Alabama State Department of Human Resources where he managed a staff of over 4,000 and the largest agency budget in the State of Alabama. President Bush appointed Cooper in 1989 as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and the Environment. He participated in the planning of Operation Desert Storm. He served throughout the first Bush Administration. In 1994, President Clinton selected Cooper as the first African American to serve as U. S. Ambassador to Jamaica. He held that post until the end of 1997.

Since 1970, Cooper has served as director and corporate officer of his family's seventy year-old insurance company and funeral home. In 1976, he and other local citizens founded Commonwealth National Bank, Alabama's first and only minority owned and operated national bank. Cooper also served as vice president of David Volkert and Associates, a regional engineering and architectural firm, from 1981 to 1989. From 1992 to November 1994, he was the senior vice-president of David Volkert and Associates.

Cooper is currently the Chairman of the Board of Commonwealth National Bank. He serves on the Boards of GenCorp, US Steel, Protective Life Corporation and PNC Financial Service Group, Inc. He has served on the Boards of Talladega College and Spring Hill College. His public service has been recognized by the NAACP, B'Nai Brith, the City of Mobile, the Secretary of the Navy, the University of Notre Dame, and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Cooper is married to the former Beverly Martin and they have three children all of whom graduated from McGill-Toolen: Patrick, ’76; Joli, ’77; and Gladys Shawn, ’79.

Inducted 2005
Biography updated 11/3/05

Hall of Fame

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