Ronald Stephen Cooper

Ronald Stephen Cooper was a brilliant, principled, and accomplished lawyer who served both the United States of America and his clients with distinction, first as a partner at Steptoe & Johnson and later as General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the administration of President George W. Bush. In 2019, he was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. His death in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 2025, at age 79, is deeply grieved by his family and many friends. Ron is survived by his wife, Carolyn Cooper of Alexandria, Virginia; daughter, Jessica K. Cooper of Richmond, Virginia; and daughter, Stephanie J. Massey, son-in-law, John K. Massey, and granddaughter Lily K. Massey of Atlanta, Georgia. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, February 6, at 10:30 A.M., at the Basilica of St. Mary’s, 310 S. Royal Street, Alexandria Virginia, and a luncheon reception the same day at 1:30 P.M. at the Old Dominion Boat Club, 0 Prince Street, Alexandria. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests a donation to the Judge Steve C. Jones Scholarship Fund that provides support for first generation college graduates in the University of Georgia School of Law (law.uga.edu/giving).

Ronald Cooper was born in Athens, Georgia, the only child of Roland Cooper and Frances Wheeler (Cooper). Roland worked in the University of Georgia’s maintenance department, following in the footsteps of his father, Charles Howard Cooper, who had worked for the school as a carpenter and construction foreman. Ronald’s earliest childhood home on South Jackson Street was mere steps from the University’s main library and School of Law, and two blocks from Sanford Stadium, home of his beloved Georgia Bulldogs football team.

The young boy flourished under the influence of his parents, particularly his mother, and his close proximity to knowledge and learning. He was musical until he discovered he was tone deaf. “Ron kept his old trumpet in our basement,” said Ronald’s wife Carolyn. “He never played it, but refused to let me throw it out.” The instrument had served him well, as he had played it in the Georgia All State Junior High School Band.

Ronald was an Eagle Scout at age-13, excelled at Athen’s Clarke County High School, and, in 1963, fulfilled his lifetime dream, matriculating at the University of Georgia. There his interest in government, law, politics, and world affairs deepened. He joined an on-campus political party, was chosen its president in 1965, and caused a minor on-campus stir when he openly criticized UGA students for knowing little about the war in Vietnam and caring about it even less.

On a blind date, Ronald met a smart, charming and attractive student from the College of Education, a New Yorker named Carolyn Vardine. He took her to a popular burger and dog joint called “the Varsity.” “Two hot dogs for 25 cents,” said Carolyn, “I’ll never forget that.” And neither would he. They fell in love and stayed in love, even though Carolyn thought it weird at first that Ronald liked the music of a coffee café troubadour named Bob Dylan. It would be “Ron and Carolyn” and “Carolyn and Ron” for the next 60 years.

Ronald received his AB degree in the honors program in 1966, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his J.D. degree from the law school in 1969. He often spoke gratefully of the mentorship of J. Ralph Beaird, his labor law professor who steered him toward the Labor Department in Washington, and of Law Professor Robert N. Leavell, who, Ronald said, “broadened my aspirations.”

Ronald’s love of the University never waned. “[He was] a lifelong friend to the . . . School of Law,” said former dean Peter B. Rutledge, “[and an] ardent supporter of students seeking to follow in his footsteps in Washington, D.C.”

Oh, what big footstep those were! After one year in the prestigious position of law clerk to Judge Walter Pettus Gewin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Ronald joined the Office of the Solicitor at the U. S. Department of Labor in Washington. Next, he joined Washington’s Steptoe & Johnson, where he became recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent employment lawyers. He represented Fortune 100 companies in litigation throughout the country at both the trial and appellate level, and was often called on to advised congressional committees during major employment discrimination legislative initiatives. He was elected to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 1997.

After his Senate confirmation in 2006, Ronald became an outstanding leader at the EEOC. “[He brought] personal integrity to his work,” said former EEOC Vice Chair, Leslie Silberman. “His commitment to civil rights and his support of [our] attorneys . . . strengthened the Office of General Counsel.”

Ronald was a gentleman in the best sense of the term. He was unfailingly polite, witty, kind, and generous. He was first and foremost a family man, a loving husband and father, and a doting grandfather. Ronald was a sharp dresser. He enjoyed sailing with Carolyn on the Chesapeake Bay, golfing with pals, cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs and watching Washington, D.C.’s sports teams. He loved his friends, all of whom called him “Ron.” But when his name was in print, he wanted “Ronald.” So “Ronald” it is here, but it is Ron who we shall so dearly miss.