James Harper Starr Cooper

James Harper Starr Cooper, 81, died Sunday, March 22, 2009, at an Abilene care center. A private graveside service will be held in the Garden of Memories Cemetery with Rev. Larry Tarver officiating, directed by The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road. A native of Abilene, Texas, James was born on July 27, 1927, the son of Dr. Jackson Stewart Cooper and Ruth Evelyn Hollingshead Cooper. His namesake and great-grandfather, James Harper Starr, was Treasurer of the Republic of Texas (1839). His grandfather, Oscar Henry Cooper, Ph.D. , a former president of both Baylor University and Simmons College (now Hardin-Simmons University), was the one for whom Cooper High School in Abilene was named. In 1881, his grandfather also drafted legislation that established the University of Texas System while he was Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Texas. After graduation from Abilene High School in 1944, James attended Texas Tech University before enrolling in the United States Maritime Service in June of 1945. On October 5, 1946, James enlisted in the U. S. Regular Army, serving in Germany during World War II (1946-48) and again during the Korean Conflict (1950-51). James married Wanda Clark on May 2, 1974 in Lawton, Oklahoma. Mr. Cooper was an agent for Allstate Insurance Co. for sixteen years. In 1974, he began his career with Lee Medical Supply, one which extended until his retirement in 1995. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Abilene. James was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Jackson Stewart Cooper, Jr. Survivors include his wife, Wanda Clark Cooper of Abilene; daughter, Valery Cooper Raney and husband, Rodney, of Granbury; stepson, Jeff Clement of Abilene; stepdaughter, Catherine Keith and husband, Billy, of Abilene; four step-grandchildren, David, Casey, Allie and Rebecca Clement; two nieces and two nephews.