Rick Cooper:
CLASS OF 1966
Mason High SchoolClass of 1966
Erie, MI
University of Michigan - Electrical EngineeringClass of 1972
Ann arbor, MI
Rick's Story
When I came to Mason in 6th grade there were already three Richards in the class so all the nicknames were in use. To this day the only people who call me anything but Rick probably know me from Mason.
After I graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor I worked as an electrical engineer in Ohio, New York, New Jersey and then for about 35 years in Florida. Then in Georgia and now in Michigan again. Most of that work has been in the area now called embedded systems. And with numerous companies and industries. Interesting stuff everywhere. Learned a lot and worked with tons of wonderful people.
My favorite work is creating things that allow people to live longer; or better; or sometimes just live.
A couple of years ago I moved to Peachtree City, Georgia--near Atlanta--to design automotive infotainment systems of the future for Panasonic. And then I seized an opportunity to move near my remaining family (my brothers and sisters) by transferring to Panasonic's site in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Working here in hardware and software engineering for adaptive noise control and other technologies for the cars of the future. Some amazing stuff coming.
I'm still a geek of course, so I read constantly and am trying to go back to graduate school and learn more fascinating engineer stuff. Please don't laugh too hard, you might injure someone. My brother Randy can't understand why. Neither can I. A colleague at Barnes and Noble asked me why I read "stuff like that" and my only answer was that it's fascinating.
I used to call myself a Rich Young Engineer as a joke. Like all of us, I'm not what most call "young" any more. But I am still an engineer, and maybe I'll get rich next month. And discover the fountain of youth right after that. Go big or go home, right? If I do find that fountain I promise to share with anyone who wants some.
Teacher I'd like to see again? There are several.
Mr. Reighard without whom I'd never have been here. I only got to see him once after I graduated. So sorry he's gone. He gave me the world.
Mr. Myers who coached the cross country team and hosted an annual euchre game at his house after the season. And who taught me drafting so well that I got a job in Ann Arbor by showing my drawings from his class. Hmm, and then there was the time he laid one on me with his paddle that seemed as long as he was tall. Really, it wasn't my fault! Yeah, he didn't buy it either.
Mr. el Gamal whose accent mystified my mother when she visited our physics class with some other parents. I told her that one got used to it. He made me work ...Expand for more
hard and I learned a great deal that I still use. I wonder how his baby Ezza Elizabeth is now? Remember when Carol Sue told him that "God damned snow" was a common descriptive term? I heard that one of the other teachers straightened him out about that.
And Mr. Weglian who gave me the A+ I so richly deserved in Geometry and who couldn't handle Carol Sue sitting in front of him and teasing. His ears got red every time he looked in her direction. Why not? What a hottie! You little devil, you.
And Mrs. Hall who disappeared and I later learned had moved to a suburb of Detroit and taught until retirement. She had that fine box for people who said unacceptable words and Eddie Munson paid it a lot of quarters. I always remember her as my favorite teacher ever.
There were more. Who are the teachers that meant a lot to you? Did you know them after we left Mason?
My oldest friend is Juan Melendez. The only one on Earth not related to me who's known me since we were both twelve. His family and mine had the only two houses on Benore Road and I met him the day we moved there in August of 1959. We diss each other constantly, like old farts do. He moved to New Smyrna Beach in Florida a couple of years ago. Now that my grandma Cooper is dead, Juan's the only one on Earth who still calls me 'Ricky', or little brother.
My other long time friend was Gary Hensley. I miss him. A wonderful and sensitive soul. Hope he's finally at peace.
I'm happiest when I'm beating my head against the wall to solve some engineering problem. My son once said to me, "Dad, you do hard things. I don't want to do hard things, I want to do things that are easy and make a *lot* of money." What ever floats one's boat I say.
Have you been able to do things that you want to? Or at least to want to do the things your life demands you do? My dad had five kids and very little money, and he did everything for us, every day. I honor him and my mom, two very smart but uneducated people who never finished high school but raised five good human beings.
When (rarely) asked "What do you want?", I've known for years. A cure for cancer. An end to war and pestilence. And an armored car full of thousand dollar bills. I'm thinking the cure is closer than the other two; and I recently learned that they don't make thousand dollar bills anymore. Hmmm.
Nothing cures a crappy day better than your child crawling up in your lap and giving you a big hug and a kiss, just for nothing, huh?
Very best wishes to each, and all, of you, and to those whom you love. Let this year be wonderful to us and ours.
Rick
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