Curtis V. Cooper was an American
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
leader from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
Early background
He was born in 1932 in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
and had
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
heritage. He graduated from
Savannah State College
)
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public historically black university
, parent = University System of Georgia
, academic_affiliation = Space-grant
, endowment ...
, but his lack of financial resources prevented him from achieving his dream of becoming a physician.
Civil rights leader
Cooper took part in the civil rights movement. He was a leader in the local Youth Council of the
and later became president of the NAACP Savannah Branch.
Health care provider
Cooper is credited with reshaping health care for the poor in his native city. In 1972, he secured funds for the establishment of a comprehensive health center for the city's indigent and served as its executive director. Under his management, it grew into the Westside-Urban Health Center, a major medical resource.
In 1984, Cooper became one of the first black members of
Memorial Medical Center's board of directors. In 1995, he became chairman of that same board. He also was the chairman of the Chatham County Hospital Authority twice and he served on the Georgia State Access to Health Care Commission and the Georgia State Health Strategies Council.
There are currently three ''Curtis V. Cooper Primary Health Care'' facilities. They are located at:
* 106 East Broad Street (near Broughton Street in Savannah's Historic District);
* 840 Hitch Drive;
* 2 Roberts Street (on the corner of West Bay Street near
Garden City, Georgia
Garden City is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States, located just northwest of Savannah. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,289. Part industrial and part residential, the city is home to much of the heavy industry ...
).
Death
Cooper died in January 2000. Soon after, the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...
passed a resolution to express their regret at the passing of Curtis V. Cooper and convey their sincerest sympathy to the members of his family.
House Resolution 806 - Curtis V. Cooper; condolences, Georgia House of Representatives, January 13, 2000
Honor
The following landmark was named to honor Curtis Cooper:
* The ''Curtis V. Cooper Garden'', a terrasse from the ''Savannah International Trade & Convention Center''
Footnotes
1932 births
2000 deaths
Activists for African-American civil rights
Movements for civil rights
Activists from Savannah, Georgia
Savannah State University alumni
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