In Memoriam
Don N. Cooper (BSCE ’47). Don died
peacefully at his
Manhattan Beach home
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
at the age of 78.
Born in Los Angeles
on August 2, 1926,
Don was a lifelong
resident of the LA area.
After graduating from
Beverly Hills High
School, Don attended
USC. He also did
post-graduate work in
civil engineering at
Harvard University. While
at USC, Don was
a midshipman in the
NROTC. After VJ Day,
he was commissioned
an Ensign in the U.S.
Navy. He later served
for many years in the
Naval reserve,
attaining the rank of
Lieutenant. Don had a
successful career
with Ted R. Cooper
Construction
Engineers, working
both in construction
and real estate
acquisition and management.
He was an active snow
skier, sailor
and world traveler,
having skied most of the
best-known mountains
in North America
and Europe and raced
competitively in
various classes of
sailboats. He was a past
Commodore of the Lake
Arrowhead Yacht
Club. Don is survived
by his sister, Bette
Scott, five nephews,
a niece and eighteen
grand nieces and
nephews. He will be
greatly missed by his
family and by all of his
many friends across
the country.
David Earl King (BSCE ’50). A
founding
member of the
California Coalition for
Adequate School
Housing (C.A.S.H.),
David passed away on
January 17, 2005 in
Orange, CA at the age
of 78. Under Dave’s
leadership, C.A.S.H.
sponsored and passed
the first statewide
school bond worth $500
million in 1982. In
1970, Dave joined the
Irvine School
District where he served as
director of
facilities for 17 years. He
brought to the
district his expertise as a
registered civil
engineer who specializes in
educational facility
planning. When Dave
retired from district
in 1987, he continued
assessing school
districts through private
consulting. The
California State Legislature
recognized him with
two legislative
resolutions for his
extraordinary dedication
to structurally safe learning
environments.
In addition to
C.A.S.H., Dave was active in
the American Society
of Civil Engineers
and the Council of
Educational Facility
Planners. Dave was
the loving husband for
57 years of Audrey
King and is survived by
his wife, daughter
and grandchildren.
ship in the Pacific.
After the war, he returned to Southern California and the
aircraft industry working for Hughes Aircraft and then TRW. Roy was one of
the early employees at TRW where he was highly
valued for his talent in engineering. He was instrumental
in the design work for some of America’s important
space and defense programs, including the Atlas
missile, Apollo lunar module, and the Pioneer spacecraft.
He loved his work so much that he waited until the
age of 74 to retire. Everyone who knew him valued
Roy for his lively intelligence and his gentle, cheerful
disposition. He is survived by his wife Ruby Acker,
his children, grandchildren and cousins.