Hats off to Cooper Communities 37 years ago
REPRINT FROM THE WEEKLY VISTA
To the Editor:
Someone has said that one flower while you are living is worth dozens after your death. I would like to dedicate this little article I’m writing today to the Cooper Company, which is now known to us generally all over the area as Cooper Communities.
Being here during all the time this has taken place, I know the situation very well. I was operating a hotel which we called the Town House at the time this started. For two or three years ahead of the announcement, a realty company in town was involved with rough land north of Bentonville, near the state line. We — the ones living here — knew it as wild, scrubby, huckleberry land that was in the rough and never thought about such a thing happening that you see here today.
In 1965, John Cooper Sr. called a meeting at the hotel I was operating. He said it was time for the people to know, as there was a lot of wondering as to what was to happen to these options. Never in the history of Bentonville have the media, including newspapers, radio, and television, converged on our little town as they did to hear this announcement. They did a wonderful job of reporting, as they came from Chicago to Tulsa, from Memphis to Dallas. When the press conference was over, they made a rush to the telephones — I remember it very well — to tell what Mr. Cooper had said was going to happen out there.
At that time he had a small acreage put together, around 12,000 acres, that he had options on to buy. He promised at his first meeting that we would have two lakes and a clubhouse and said if we would give him a little time, we would have a town of more than 20,000 people. Today, believe it or not, there are more than 5,000 residents living in Bella Vista, and 29,168 property owners. We were glad to see these people come in. They are a fine class of people, top citizens. There is every vocation you can think of there. They are good for the town and area. They have built churches, contributed to our schools, and helped with tax problems in the county.
John Cooper, at the first meeting, told them of his dream for a senior citizens’ retirement village. At that time, he had started Cherokee Village in eastern Arkansas. Mr. Cooper was a West Memphis man originally, a lawyer, and he had Cherokee Village going. We had skeptics, of course, knowing this locality where he was talking about, who didn’t think it was possible to do.
I, together with 40 other businessmen, chartered a bus to Cherokee Village, all at Cooper’s expense. They treated us nicely and we saw what was being done over there. I think everyone came home with the idea that he really could do it.
Now Cooper has … built hundreds of miles of paved roads, six lakes, four golf courses, four clubhouses. The Town Center wasn’t mentioned at the time, but it is now complete in every way, with banking and retail centers.
During this period, John Cooper Sr. has gotten older and John Cooper Jr. is now president of Cooper Communities Inc. The younger Cooper is assisted by two men, Joe Basore and George Billingsley and he has a lot of other good men with him as well. It has meant much to this area, to this town, to this community.
Bella Vista Village is known from north to south, from east to west. People are retiring here and they come because of the weather, the people and the low taxes. Mr. Cooper has built a hospital, nursing home, complexes of townhouses, swimming pools, tennis courts — things he didn’t promise. He has done 10 times more than he ever thought he would. He bought the old Bella Vista Park where the old lake and swimming pool were, and he has converted it and owns all the land clear to the Missouri line.
It has meant a lot to this whole area and we in Bentonville appreciate it. Financial institutions have benefited and there has been much good done for our town. We are more than glad that John Cooper Sr. had this dream. Our hats are off to all of you at Cooper Communities. Carl Burger Bentonville, Ark.
(This Editor’s Note accompanied Mr. Burger’s letter: Carl Burger, founder of Burger Motor Co., moved to Bentonville in 1937 and for more than 45 years has contributed to the growth and development of Benton County through his involvement in various civic organizations. At age 82, he maintains a strong interest in the civic affairs of Bentonville, Bella Vista and the county.)