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One of his earliest memories concerns the cowboys of the west Texas town of Vega. The cowpokes of the early 1900’s celebrated the Yuletide season boisterously, firing their six-shooters into the air as they galloped through the small town. Mr. Cooper remembers that he hid under the bed when the early cattlemen raced through the town whooping it up and blasting away at the sky. The elder in the Presbyterian Church is active in community affairs. He is a member of the Rotary Club and is a past director of the chamber of commerce. Mr. Cooper, with the help of a brother, located the Ben Franklin store here in 1947. The store’s tenth birthday will be celebrated next July 5, the day after Independence Day. The Troop 220 Boy Scout helper says that he came to Palacios “because it was a nice town and a fine place to raise and educate our children.” Mr. Cooper was married to his wife, Jeannie Marie, in 1940 when they were both living in McKinney.
After getting out of school, Mr. Cooper went to work with the J. C. Penney Company in 1921 as a clerk in the Fort Morgan, Colo. store. He credits Penney’s with giving him an education in retail business that enabled him to succeed in his chosen profession. “I’ve cussed the retail business at times, but have always gone back to it,” Mr. Cooper says. Reason for this is that the Ben Franklin manager enjoys working with the general public and likes to meet and talk to people. In 1923 Mr. Cooper, with the assistance of his older brother, opened a Penney store in McKinney. He served the store in the capacity of assistant manager. In the interim from 1935 to 1937, Mr. Cooper worked with four different stores in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. His first dealings with the Ben Franklin department store chain came in 1941 when he opened a store in Kansas. During the war he was a civilian worker in the North American aviation plant in Grand Prairie. Despite the fact that Mr. Cooper has traveled extensively during his lifetime and has held many jobs, he plans to make Palacios his permanent home. He explains that his children have grown up in Palacios and that it is the only home they know. “My wife and I were talking one night about another town, and the children got the idea that we were considering moving.” The kids raised immediate and violent objections “We’re not moving from Palacios?” the asked anxiously. The elder Coopers laid their fears to rest with an explanation. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Coopers are going to remain permanent Palacios residents.
Palacios Beacon, January 3, 1957 |
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The Ben Franklin Store which opened shortly after the first of the year in the former Granada Theatre building, remodeled and made into a most up-to-date place of business has been purchased by E. R. Cooper, of McKinney, Texas. The store has been closed this week for invoicing the stock. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were in Palacios about a month ago, looking over our city and liked it so much they decided to locate here. Mr. Cooper informs us he has been in the retail business practically all his life and feels he is familiar with all the angles of making it a success. He stated the business would be known as Cooper's Ben Franklin Store, and would be ready for re-opening Saturday morning. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are living at 710 Second Street and their two children, who are visiting their grandmother, will join them in a few weeks.
Palacios Beacon, July 3, 1947 |
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Eugene Rex Cooper, former owner and manager of Ben Franklin, passed away at Wagner General Hospital Monday, February 21, at 9:30 a. m. following a heart attack. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 23, at 2 p. m. at the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Leslie Webb and Rev. Richard Stone officiating. Interment will be in the Palacios Cemetery. Rex. Cooper was born December 5, 1901, in Fairview Kansas to John Eugene and Margaret Delia Reynolds Cooper. He had been a resident of Palacios for years. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife Jennie Marie Cooper of Palacios; one daughter, Ann Cooper Gay of Alpine; one son Eugene Rex Cooper II of Cincinnati, Ohio; one sister, Mrs. Powell Stout of Oakhill, Kansas; three grandchildren and several pieces and nephews.
Palacios Beacon, February 24, 1977 |
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Services were held last Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church in Palacios for Jennie Marie Cooper, 75, who died July 18, 1988 at Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth. She was born July 25, 1912 in McKinney, Texas and was a long-time resident of Palacios prior to moving to Crowley, Texas. Rev. Doug Blanton officiated at the memorial service and the graveside service at Palacios Cemetery. Mrs. Cooper was preceded in death by her husband, Rex Cooper, and is survived by a daughter, Ann Cooper Gay of Toronto, Canada; a son, Eugene Cooper of Crowley; a sister, Rebecca Huston of Wichita Falls and seven grandchildren. In lieu of usual contributions, donations may be made to the Huguley Hospice Care, P. O. Box 6337, Ft. Worth, TX 76115 or to the Christian ministry of the donor’s choice.
Palacios Beacon, July 27, 1988 |
An adopted Texan, Rex Cooper, manager of the
Palacios Ben Franklin store, came from Kansas to the Lone Star State
at the tender age of seven years.
They have two children, Ann, 12, and Gene, 11.
The older was born in McKinney and Gene in Arlington.
