William E. Cooper (civic leader)

Cooper enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and trained as a B-17 pilot. He became a B-29 co-pilot and served in Guam, flying transport for the prisoner of war missions and other cargo missions. He also flew as co-pilot to the Chief test pilot of the 315th Bomb Wing and as 1st pilot on all test hope of B-17 and C-45 types of military aircraft and had approximately 750 military flying hours.

Cooper died in Dallas, Texas, March 6, 2008, from congestive heart failure.

Cooper was also active in the Catholic lay community. The Jesuit Foundation named him as the 1991 recipient of The Patrick H. Koch, S.J. Award, given to an individual, couple or group “that exemplify the Jesuit spirit of service to others.” In 2004, he was part of a group demanding the resignation of Dallas Bishop Charles Grahmann.

In November 1988, Cooper, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jan Collmer founded the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas. Originally located within a terminal at Dallas Love Field, the museum now occupies a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m) building at the Southeast corner of Love Field on Lemmon Avenue.

Cooper played a prominent role in D/FW Airport from its inception. In 1986 he was named to the airport’s board of directors and was board chairman from 1991 to 1993.

Cooper was the president of the Dallas Market Center from 1969 to 1982. In those 25 years, the Dallas Market Center grew from a single building with less than 100,000 square feet (9,300 m) to 7,200,000-square-foot (670,000 m) complex of six buildings and a 1,000-room hotel according to the newspaper. Cooper is credited for the use of The Dallas Market Center Apparel Mart as “Great Hall” in the film Logan’s Run (1975).

Cooper joined The Rotary Club of Dallas on July 9, 1962 and served on many committees and hosted many Rotary events such as the 1967 District Conference as well as the 1982 RI Convention in Dallas. He was elected President of The Rotary Club of Dallas in June 1973. April 2008

After meeting Trammell Crow, one of Dallas’ leading real estate agents, Cooper became deeply involved in Dallas’ development as a wholesale merchandising center. Crow appointed him vice president of the Dallas Market Center in 1958, and, according to The Dallas Morning News was “instrumental in the planning, operation and expansion of the Dallas Market Center, considered the largest wholesale merchandise mart in the world.

Cooper worked for a color printing company in Wichita and was transferred to Dallas in 1952. “Mr. Cooper’s commission checks soon became bigger than his boss’ salary,” according to The Dallas Morning News. In 1958, the chairman sent a registered letter ordering Mr. Cooper back to Kansas. ‘I wrote him a registered letter and said “no,”‘ Cooper said, ‘When you do that, that’s it.'”

After being honorably discharged, May 1946, Cooper returned to college, and completed his economics degree in 1948.

William Edward “Bill” Cooper (October 16, 1921 – March 6, 2008) was a prominent Dallas businessman and civic leader.