Zada Mary Cooper (January 31, 1875 – May 6, 1961) was an American pharmacist and educator.

Biography

Born in

Quasqueton, Iowa Quasqueton is a city in Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 570 at the time of the 2020 census. Just northwest of the town is Cedar Rock, a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, which is maintained by the state as a museum. ...

in 1875, Zada Mary Cooper graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

College of Pharmacy in 1897 and became a registered

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

on March 9 of that year. Beginning as an assistant, she worked at the College of Pharmacy for 45 years, becoming an instructor in 1905, an assistant professor in 1912, and an associate professor in 1942. Cooper helped found the Women's Section of the

American Pharmacists Association The American Pharmacists Association (APhA, previously known as the American Pharmaceutical Association), founded in 1852, is the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States. The association consists of more t ...

in 1912. She served on its Executive and Membership committees from 1913 to 1916, and was elected its president in 1917. She founded the pharmacy fraternity

Kappa Epsilon Kappa Epsilon () is an American professional women's pharmacy fraternity founded in Iowa in 1921. Today, KE has 43 collegiate chapters and ten alumni chapters. Over 20,000 women and men have been initiated into ΚΕ since its founding. History ...

on May 13, 1921. She was its first chair, a grand council member, and edited its journal, ''The Bond''. Cooper was also a founder of

Rho Chi Rho Chi () is an international honor society for pharmaceutical sciences. It was founded on May 19, 1922, to "encourage high scholastic achievement and fellowship among students in pharmacy and to promote the pharmaceutical sciences". History The ...

, an international honor society for pharmaceutical sciences. She held several of its offices, including secretary, executive council member, vice president, and served as president from 1938 to 1940. She was active within the

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is the national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education. Founded in 1900, AACP comprises all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs, including ...

, and was successful in lobbying the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

to accept membership from graduates of pharmacy colleges. After retiring in 1942, she lived with her brother Dr. J. Clark Cooper in

Villisca, Iowa Villisca is a city in Montgomery County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,132 at the time of the 2020 census. It is most notable for the unsolved axe mass murder that took place in the town during the summer of 1912. Geography Villis ...

. She died on May 6, 1961.

Honors

Cooper was granted a membership in the national honor society

Iota Sigma Pi Iota Sigma Pi () is a national honor society in the United States. It was established in 1902 and specializes in the promotion of women in the sciences, especially chemistry. It also focuses on personal and professional growth for women in these ...

and was, at the time, one of very few women listed in ''

American Men of Science ''American Men and Women of Science'' (the 40th edition was published in 2022) is a biographical reference work on leading scientists in the United States and Canada, published as a series of books and online by Gale. The first edition was publish ...

'' (it was not renamed ''American Men and Women of Science'' until 1971). The

fraternity annually awards Zada M. Cooper Scholarships to five of its active collegiate members. On April 30, 2016, the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy held the Zada Cooper Leadership Symposium, featuring several speakers on the subject of

pharmacy education The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor of ...

Selected publications

* "Why Apprentices Should Take a Course in College Before Engaging in Practice", ''Proceedings of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association'', 1904 * "Ladies as Druggists: Their Value to the Profession", ''Proceedings of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association'', 1905 * "The Ideal Pharmacist", ''Proceedings of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association'', 1906 * "Formula on the Bottle – Why Should the Druggists and the People Demand it", ''Proceedings of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association'', 1906 * "Co-operation Between Physicians and Pharmacists, The Advantages and How Best to Bright It About", ''Proceedings of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association'', 1909 * "Women in Pharmacy", ''The Druggists Circular'', 1914 * "Some Phases of a Pharmacist's Duty to the Public", ''Journal of the American Pharmacists Association'', 1914 * "Should a Library Reading Course Be Made a Part of the Curriculum of Colleges of Pharmacy", ''Journal of the American Pharmacists Association'', 1916 * "Women Should be Urged to Study Pharmacy", ''The Druggists Circular'', 1918 * "Where are Pharmacists Ten Years After Graduation from College", ''Journal of the American Pharmacists Association'', 1919 * "Pharmaceutical Arithmetic", ''Spatula'', 1922 * "The Lure of Research", ''Journal of the American Pharmacists Association'', 1926

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Zada Mary 1875 births 1961 deaths American pharmacists People from Buchanan County, Iowa College sorority founders University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa faculty Women pharmacists College fraternity founders