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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF CORNELIA DOZIER COOPER
______
HON. HAROLD ROGERS
of kentucky
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 30, 2019
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to
one of Eastern Kentucky's most dedicated philanthropes of the arts,
Cornelia Dozier Cooper, who has been awarded the prestigious Milner
Award, presented by Governor Matt Bevin as part of the 2018-2019
Governor's Awards in the Arts. This award recognizes individuals and
organizations who make extraordinary and significant contributions to
the arts in Kentucky.
Cornelia Dozier Cooper has embodied passion for the visual, fine, and
performing arts throughout her impressive career in Pulaski County. Not
only is Cornelia an accomplished artist herself, having studied English
watercolor at Oxford University and shadowing an impressive and diverse
group of artists ranging from local masters at the University of
Kentucky to artists in France and Italy, but an ardent proponent of the
development of art and art education across Kentucky. Patrons and
artists from across the state are grateful for Cornelia's lifetime
support of art: for the time and financial resources that she and her
late husband, Richard Cooper, have given to promote community arts and
cultural growth in the region. Through their tremendous influence, the
Coopers have encouraged involvement in the arts and created an
enriching, exciting environment in which the people of the Commonwealth
of Kentucky may participate and enjoy for generations to come.
Among her long list of accolades includes that she is a founding
member of the Kentucky Arts Council, founding member and President of
the Lake Cumberland Performing Arts Series, Inc, the only female member
of the Governor's Mansion Commission to ``Save the Mansion,'' was
appointed by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees top serve on
the McDowell Cancer Network Board, President of the Somerset Garden
Club, Chair of the Fountain Square Foundation in Somerset, Kentucky, an
original member of the Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, and a
member of the University of Kentucky Museum Board. She is President of
the Cornelia Dozier Cooper Endowment Fund, a nonprofit organization to
benefit and promote the arts in Pulaski County and the surrounding
region. The Endowment awards several $1000 grants each year to support
and encourage the arts in Eastern Kentucky and regularly supports local
artists and an array of outstanding programs in professional arts and
cultural events in Somerset, Kentucky, and the surrounding region.
Cornelia donates the proceeds of her paintings' sales to the Endowment
Fund. Cornelia has been awarded the Master Musicians Festival Lifetime
Achievement Award and the East Kentucky Foundation Outstanding Citizen
Award in 2006. The ``Cooper Building'' on the campus of Somerset
Community College was dedicated to the philanthropy of Cornelia and
Richard Cooper for their philanthropy to both Somerset Community
College and the University of Kentucky.
At 93 years old, this lifelong Kentuckian, Cornelia Dozier Cooper, is
known and beloved by all for her ``tireless enthusiasm,'' and is
regarded as a ``personal hero and mentor'' to many throughout Eastern
Kentucky. In addition to serving the community, she is a mother of two
children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
The Milner Award is an honor fitting for Ms. Cornelia Dozier Cooper
in recognition of a lifetime of devotion to art, education, and the
positive impact that she has made, and is continuing to provide, on
Eastern Kentucky through her service to the arts. I am deeply grateful
for Cornelia's love and commitment to the arts. My wife, Cynthia, and I
wish Cornelia and her family immense joy and blessings in the years to
come.
____________________
