College Dedicates Room to Coopers

On October 16, 2006, Dr. Gregory Powell and the Panola College Board of Trustees discussed a proposal to recognize the generosity of former Carthage physician, Dr. Grundy Cooper and his wife, Eleanor. The Board agreed to rename Room 129 in the Dr. W.C. Smith Health Science Center, the “Cooper Classroom.”

Dr. Cooper attended pre-med school at Louisiana Tech at Ruston, LA., and then attended Tulane Medical School in New Orleans from 1942-1946. He served his internship at Charity Hospital in Shreveport which was later renamed the Louisiana State University Medical Center. Dr. Cooper did his internship in obstetric/gynecology through 1948.

On September 7, 1948 Dr. Cooper married Eleanor Thibodeaux of New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the daughter of Howard and Eunice Krappel Thibodeaux. Later that year Dr. Cooper joined the army. He served in the Korean Conflict from 1948-1950. After completing his military commitment, he returned to Shreveport Confederate Memorial Hospital. Several years later they moved to Carthage, where Dr. Cooper served on the Panola County medical team for 33 years.

The Coopers were married for more than 38 years.  They had two children, James Gregory Cooper and Deborah Anne Cooper, both of whom had passed away before their mother’s death in January of 2003.

“Dr. and Mrs. Cooper loved this community and Panola College,” said Dr. Gregory Powell, President of Panola College. “They believed in helping people and understood how receiving an education beyond high school could dramatically improve a person’s life. Towards that end they left a sizeable amount of their estate to the College. The Coopers asked that their gift be used to help students pursuing an education in one of our health science programs.  We are deeply grateful for their generosity and their trust in Panola College”

In addition to this gift, Mrs. Cooper established the James Gregory Cooper Memorial Scholarships in 1988 in memory of her son. The scholarships are awarded annually to an outstanding academic scholar and a student with demonstrated financial need. Funds were also made available to aid the Fine Arts Division.

“These gifts will forever make a difference in the lives of our students,” said Powell. “The addition of this plaque will ensure that their legacy is not forgotten.”