Niagara Lions honor John Cooper

Story and photo by Larry Austin
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 15, 2006

Niagara Lions Club Secretary Angelo Onevelo, left, and Lion Gary Strenkoski, right, present the William A. Henchbarger Citizen of the Year Award to John Cooper on June 11 at the Niagara Strawberry Festival.

John Cooper’s volunteerism and leadership within the community were honored Sunday by the Town of Niagara Lions Club with the William A. Henchbarger Citizen of the Year Award.

Cooper received the award at the Niagara Strawberry Festival at St. Leo’s Church on Military Road. As vice-chairman of the Niagara Military Affairs Council, or NiMAC, Cooper helped lead a community effort to save the air base from closure during the latest round of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations in 2005.

Cooper accepted the award for all those overseas in the war zone. “We really are honored to have them in our community, and they definitely deserve our prayers and our thoughts as today they are representing us around the world,” he said.

Cooper said he also accepted the award on behalf of his father, Wayne, a charter member of the Town of Niagara Lions Club. “Community service was something that was there in my life right from the beginning as I followed the example of him,” Cooper added.

Niagara Lions Club director Gary Strenkoski said Bill Henchbarger, a past president of the Town of Niagara Lions Club, was blessed with a high amount of energy for his fellow man, his family, and God. “He truly loved Lionism and all it stood for,” Strenkoski said.

Each year, the Town of Niagara Lions Club recognizes a citizen who reflects Henchbarger’s character as a significant contributor to the community.

Cooper was the first elected president of the Town of Niagara Business and Professional Association. Also in 1996, Cooper took on the vice-chairmanship of the Niagara Military Affairs Council.

“Who could have known then that a group of volunteers led by John Cooper would take on the U.S. Department of Defense to save our base and over 3,000 jobs in 2005?” Strenkoski said. “Mission accomplished, John.”

“It was great to see the community come together and work together, to gather all those letters and work on behalf of our military here,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s work for with the Niagara Military Affairs Council continues.

“We’re still very active. We still have various concerns about the base here. We want to continue working on behalf of the base,” Cooper said, noting several active projects. A bid was recently awarded for the first phase on a new $17 million lodging facility at the base, with a $7 million fire station in the works as well.

The Army moving from Porter Road to the base would be a $31 million project, Cooper said.

“The future is bright,” Cooper said. “I believe we need to continue to work for the base because there are still concerns out there having to do with this past BRAC.”

“We’d really like it to be a military reservation to include all branches of the service,” he said.