THE FOLLOWING IS AN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL RELEASE
W. Dale Cooper was 1 of 3 shot to death at V.A. hospital 55 years ago
A Danville man who was shot and killed while working at a Veterans Affairs hospital in 1970 will be honored in a ceremony honoring those who died while serving others.
A Workers Memorial Day ceremony is set for 9 a.m. Saturday at the memorial outside KrugerCoan Funeral Home, 10 E. Williams St. in Danville. Illinois State Sen. Paul Faraci will provide remarks at the event.
It is among hundreds of Workers Memorial Day events happening across the country. It began more than 50 years ago, with the signing of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, calling attention to the need for greater workplace safety. After years of inactivity at the Danville memorial, the East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council recently took charge of it, ensuring area workers will continue to be honored.
Cooper, 45, was Director of Volunteer Services at what was then known as the Danville V.A. Hospital. On May 13, 1970, a former patient randomly walked into Cooper’s office while he was on the phone with his wife, Kathryn, and shot him to death. The former patient also killed Rev. Gerhard Leverenz, the hospital chaplain, and laundry superintendent Bessie Mealer, before he took his own life after a police pursuit.
Cooper had been a staff sergeant in the Marines who served in World War II in the Southwest Pacific theater and participated in the re-taking of Guam from the Japanese. He then spent his career working in V.A. hospitals, finding his passion in organizing and leading volunteer services. An Indiana native, he had worked at V.A. hospitals in Indiana and Alabama, before taking the Danville job one year before his death, so that he, his wife, son Steve and twin sons, Jeff and Greg, could be closer to family.
“Dad came from a humble background and believed in helping people, especially those in need,” said Jeff Cooper. “He was a wonderful father and husband.” He and Greg were 13 at the time of his death, while their brother Steve was 19, serving in the U.S. Navy. Jeff and Steve Cooper still live in the area and Jeff often drives past the memorial.
While Leyerenz and Mealer’s names were previously added to the memorial, Cooper’s had not been. Local labor leaders only recently learned of that oversight and worked with the Cooper family to ensure it was added this year.
“Mr. Cooper was an American hero who served our country overseas and continued to serve here at home,” said Kevin Sage, President of the East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council. “His death was an absolute tragedy and adding his name to this memorial is something that is long overdue.”
