Building dedicated in honor of Edinburg native, Vietnam vet Edward Cooper

Edinburg native and Vietnam veteran Edward "Ned" Pillow Cooper, the namesake of STC's new 27,825 square foot Cooper Center for Communication Arts.

Ribbon cutting at the dedication of South Texas College's new Cooper Center for Communication Arts at the college's Pecan Campus in McAllen. From left are Dr. Alejo Salinas Jr. and Irene Garcia, members of STC's Board of Trustees; Gary Gurwitz, vice-chair of STC's Board of Trustees; and Dr. Shirley A. Reed, STC president.

South Texas College honored Edinburg, Texas native and Vietnam veteran Edward "Ned" Pillow Cooper, dedicating the college's new 27,825 square foot Cooper Center for Communication Arts in his name and memory on June 24, 2008. Cooper was killed in a tragic accident during his service as a navy navigator in the Vietnam War. His mother Edwynne Cooper bequeathed more than $1.3 million to STC to honor her son as a man of bravery and as a great communicator.

Born in Edinburg in 1945, Cooper was an honors graduate of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, the president of the student body and a drummer in the band. He was an avid outdoorsman and athlete who loved to ski and play tennis, golf and basketball.

He had a flare for adventure, which led to his time as a foreign exchange student in Germany and his extensive travel within the United States. His eye for the unique and appealing helped him land a photo assignment with National Geographic to capture the beauty and mystery of underwater life in the Bahamas. After his graduation from high school he attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, later transferring to The University of Colorado at Boulder where he earned a bachelor's degree in Finance.

Cooper was also very grounded, practicing his devout faith at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Pharr, Texas. This spiritual nature made him a sensitive soul who understood the beauty of self expression. He was an avid reader of the classics and loved the flow and expression offered by poetry; an outlet he often used to express his own feelings and observations about the world.

"It is very fitting that we are honoring Edward Pillow Cooper by dedicating our new Center for Communication Arts in his name because he was a very talented writer, poet and photographer and we have learned that he also served as a public affairs officer during his time in the military," said Dr. Shirley A. Reed, STC president. "I know that Mr. Cooper is someone our students can aspire too, not only because of his obvious talents in communication arts, but because of his bravery and commitment to academics during his life. We know that our communication arts students, faculty and staff will help his memory live on through their hard work."

STC's Cooper Center for Communication Arts offers students a chance to learn theater craft in a high-tech, state-of-the art performance theater. The 197-seat theater is supported by professional-quality catwalks for lighting and special effects, a programmable lighting system, a projecting stage, as well as a 20-foot screen and projection system. The building also offers a black-box instructional theater, a costume shop, set workshop, 180+ person capacity conference center, classrooms and several faculty and staff offices.