Separately, and together, Bob Cooper and Edna Cooper have demonstrated community leadership with their untiring work and selfless dedication to the province’s northern communities and the people in them.
Adopting the north as her home in 1943, Edna Cooper brought with her a strong interest in arts and culture and has devoted a large part of her life to these community activities. As a charter member of the Terrace Art Association and a past member of the Regional Arts Council, she worked to establish the Terrace Public Art Gallery and the annual Terrace Arts and Crafts Show. She was for many years President of Terrace Little Theatre.
Edna Cooper has served as an Alderman on the Terrace Municipal Council, a School Trustee, and has been appointed to numerous boards and commissions. With all her official activities, she still found time to lead Girl Guides, chair the Centennial celebrations for Terrace, and for many years instruct adult night school courses.
Bob Cooper has also been heavily involved in all aspects of northern community life – from acting as president of the Northwest Loggers Association, and director of the Regional District of Kitimat Stikine, to membership on the local Parole Board. For ten years, he was an Alderman of the City of Terrace. Bob Cooper, too, has been appointed to a number of boards and commissions including the Terrace/Kitimat Airport Advisory Committee, the Northern Development Council, and the Mills Memorial Hospital Board. He has worked to enhance the welfare of inmates at the Terrace Community Correctional Centre.
Both Bob and Edna Cooper are highly respected members of their community because of the years of hard work they have dedicated to the betterment of this north west corner of B.C., and the province as a whole. They demonstrate community spirit at its finest.