Cooper Mack

Cooper Mack, 26, of Rogers, son of Rector native John Mack and his wife, Harriet, died Tuesday, June 3, 2008, succumbing to an advanced acute leukemia.

He emerged as one of the most talented young architects with an exceptionally original mind for the arts. He was and always will be a man of extraordinary ability who lived a short but extraordinary life.

Born in April 1982 in Rogers, Cooper went on to graduate from Rogers High School in 2000 as Salutatorian of his class. Actively involved in academic circles such as student council, the Regions Junior Bank Board and the National Honor Society, he equally enjoyed extracurricular activities such as Mountie football and baseball, and he was proud to be an Eagle Scout in Troop 122.

Having received a Bachelor of Architecture degree in May 2006 from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, Cooper was always respected and admired by his faculty and colleagues throughout his six years at the institution. His talents were recognized with several awards: Liebman Book Award for Architecture, AIA Henry Adams Certificate of Merit, Peter Bruden Memorial Fund Prize for Structures and the Lotus Club Award.

While at the Cooper Union, he played an instrumental role in the Speakers Bureau,

which secured well-known architects and artists to lecture at the school. His innate abilities were an inspiration to the entire Cooper Union community and later at the workplace. Cooper's work experience included employment with Reiser and Umemoto Architects in New York City and most recently with the world-renowned Foreign Office Architects, headed by its principals Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaero-Polo in London, UK.

Cooper's architectural interests led him to travel, consuming culture wherever he visited. His love for learning brought on an intensity of thought and creativity that is truly remarkable. Forever the gentleman, his kind, artfully quiet, compassionate heart will stay with those he left behind.

Many will miss Cooper and always keep him deep in their hearts, including his parents, John and Harriet Mack of Rogers; his girlfriend and partner, Raha Talebi; his brother, Hunter Mack and fiancé Nyree Bekarian of Berkeley, Calif.; his grandmother, Ann Mack of Rogers; Raha's parents, Fara and Ali Talebi of Dallas, Texas; his FOA family, Farshid Moussavi, friends and colleagues; his aunts and uncles, Jenny and Harry Harmon of Rogers, Mary and Bob Norton of Cartersville, Ga., Linda and Lonnie Werner of St. Louis, Mo., and Bill and Patty Burns of Eatonton, Ga.; his cousins, Lee, John and Kate Harmon Hanney of Santa Monica, Calif., John Harmon of Los Angeles, Calif., and Laura Woodrow of Kalamazoo, Mich., as well as many other relatives and friends.

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 9, at First United Methodist Church in downtown Rogers with the Rev. Sandra Wanasek and the Rev. David Bentley officiating.

The family requests memorials be made in honor of Cooper Mack to: the Cooper Mack Arts and Education Fund (a special project is being planned), First Western Bank, 401 West Walnut, Rogers, AR 72756; First United Methodist Church, Chapel Renovation, 307 West Elm, Rogers, AR 72756, or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, 5005 Mitchelldale, Suite 115, Houston, TX 77092.

Online condolences may be sent to stockdalefuneral.com