1926
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Dr. Henry Howard Cooper and Ada Sawyer Cooper.
1946
Earns a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University
1949
Earns a Doctor of Medicine from Meharry Medical College.
1949
Interns at Philadelphia General Hospital.
1951
Becomes a resident in medicine at Philadelphia General Hospital.
1954
Serves as a captain in the U.S. Air Force and as the chief of medical service, U.S. Air Force Hospital in the Philippines
1956
Is a National Institutes of Health fellow in cardiology at Philadelphia General Hospital.
1958
Works as a senior attending physician at Philadelphia General Hospital until 1976.
1958
Becomes an associate in medicine then assistant professor at the School of Medicine of University of Pennsylvania.
1964
Becomes an attending physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
1968
Becomes the assistant director and later consultant in medicine at the Mercy Douglas Hospital.
1968
Becomes the co-founder and co-director of the Stroke Research Center.
1969
Becomes the president of the medical staff at Philadelphia General Hospital until 1971.
1973
Receives an honorary M.S. by the University of Pennsylvania and becomes the chief of medical service at Philadelphia General Hospital.
1993
Teaches as a Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine of University of Pennsylvania.
1993
Is president of the American Heart Association until 1994.
1996
Is named a professor emeritus medicine by the University of Pennsylvania.
2002
Becomes a trustee of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
2002
Is named an Emeritus Trustee of Rockefeller University due to serving as a trustee from 1992 to 2002.
2011
Receives an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Meharry Medical College.