O.H. Cooper High School (commonly referred to as Abilene Cooper) is a public high school located in
Abilene, Texas. It opened in 1960, in part to handle the increase in school age youth resulting from the
Post World War II Baby Boom. It is one of three 4-year high schools within
Abilene Independent School District.
Cooper High is named for Oscar Henry Cooper, who was
president of
Baylor University from 1898 to 1902.[2] Prior to such time, his advocacy for a state-supported and state-controlled university led to the establishment of the
University of Texas.[3] After his time at Baylor, Dr. Cooper was president of
Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene until 1909. Thereafter, he headed "Cooper's Boys' School" in Abilene until 1915.[4]
Faculty and academics
Abilene is the home of
Dyess Air Force Base and Cooper students have benefited from retired
officers, and spouses of officers, from Dyess becoming teachers at Cooper. Retired
US Air ForceColonel James Alderman, a
mathematics and
science teacher at the school, explained to his students that he worked on the development of the
Gamma Ray Spectrometer and did research relating to
nuclear fusion while in the
United States Air Force.
RetiredUS Air ForceColonel James Zumwalt taught Honors Calculus and, in 1981–1982, was
zoo keeper over his homeroom class that called itself the "Zoo." Members of the Zoo included many of the top graduating students in 1982 and yet still managed to win the
intramural sports championship.[5]
The Cooper High School Tennis Team has made appearances at the Texas state competition
8 times in its historyArchived 2007-11-10 at the
Wayback Machine, ranking 5th in the state for all-time appearances in conference 5A. It competed in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992 and won the championship for three consecutive years in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
Ricky Meyers won the state
singles title in 1976 and Ryan Hughes did the same in 1995. David Meyers and Scott Meyers (identical twins) won boys
doubles state in 1982.
[1]Archived 2007-03-09 at the
Wayback Machine
Jana Hanks won the state singles title in 1975 and 1976, Susie Ingram and Julie Jones won the state doubles title in 1976, and Leanne Hill and Stephanie Burnam won the state doubles title in 1982.
[2]Archived 2007-03-09 at the
Wayback Machine
As of November, 2009, The Cooper Tennis Team is ranked
8th in the state in conference 4A.
Ray Berry played for the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks from 1987 to 1993
Terry Orr played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers from 1986 to 1993
Fine arts
Cooper enjoys a rich tradition of success in various branches of the fine and performing arts. 215 individuals have been named to the Texas All-State roster, with at least one Cooper student making All-State Choir, Band or Orchestra every year since 1971. Choir, Band, Orchestra, Art and Theater are all thriving on campus. One of Cooper's two feeder middle schools, Madison, has become the Abilene ISD magnet middle school for fine arts.
Band has a rich and proud history at Cooper High School. Often among the largest high school
marching bands in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s, the band made frequent appearances at the State Marching Contest.[18] The band marched in the 1990
Rose Parade,[19] one of only a handful of Texas High School bands to have ever done so. The band is currently led by head director Clay Johnson, a former
University of Oklahomadrum major who has directed the band since 2003, first as assistant for two years. Since 2005, three former Cooper Band members have been named drum major at
Texas Tech University.
TMEA All-State Musicians
Cooper has had over 200 individuals be named to Texas All-State Bands, Choirs and Orchestras since 1971.[20]