Published on November 12, 2016 by Brad Radice
Retired Col. Carl Cooper, a 1943 graduate of Samford University, returned to campus Nov. 11 for homecoming and the university’s 175th anniversary celebration. Cooper, who is 96, received the Lockmiller Award as the male from the earliest class represented at the annual Golden Bulldogs gathering for alumni who graduated 50-plus years ago.
It was a fitting Veterans Day honor for Cooper, who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980 after serving 38 years.
Watch his inspiring Samford story.
Brad Radice is director of broadcast media.
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.