www.chenal.com MARCH 2013
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4 Life in Chenal Life in Chenal 5
It was at ASU, and specifically in a Radio
and TV class, where Lesley met her future
husband, Tony. “I knew who he was, as we
had some classes together,” Lesley said. “I
was a junior and he was a senior. I was tak-
ing a TV directing class and the curriculum
included a special project. I asked him to
do the lighting on the show I had to write
and direct. In a subtle way, I tried to let him
know I liked him.”
It didn’t take long for Tony to realize Les-
ley was the girl for him. They started dating
in the fall of 1985. “Three months later he
asked me to marry him, but I declined,” Les-
ley said. “When he asked the first time, there
was no ring. Six months later he got the ring
and I said ‘yes.’”
While in college, Tony was very proud to
be a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon frater-
nity, which was one of the top fraternities on
campus at the time.
After he graduated, Tony worked for
Channel 38 TV while Lesley finished school.
He lived at home to pay for her ring and save
money to buy a house while working as the
art director of the TV station.
They married in July of 1987 after Lesley
finished college. Both were Radio and TV
majors and they moved to Little Rock.
“While looking for a job here, and after
a few employment opportunities, I landed a
job with Bruce Wesson, the premier graphic
designer in the Mid-South,” Lesley said. “I
worked as a production assistant and eventu-
ally rose to Production Manager. For nearly
eighteen years I worked for him and learned
the business. I loved the job and it allowed
me to have a great career and the schedule
was flexible enough for me to be a room
mom for my boys during their school years.
When he retired in 2007, I assumed the cli-
ent list and started my own business, Cooper
Design. Since then I’ve established my own
clientele in addition to serving past clients. I
am a full-fledged graphic designer now.”
Tony is a pharmaceutical sales repre-
sentative for AstraZeneca, specializing in
cardiovascular pharmaceuticals. He’s been
there for 15 years.
In 1999, Lesley and Tony built their
DuQuesne Place home. “The area was just
being developed,” Lesley said. “We had to
park the car at the bottom of the hill as there
was no road at the time. Our house was the
first of four houses on the street.”
Richard Harp was their builder and next-
door neighbor. “He’s a very good builder,”
Lesley said. “We’ve lived there since Decem-
ber of 1999. We chose the lot, picked out the
plans, with some modifications, and he built
a totally custom 2,200 square foot home
with four bedrooms for us. We couldn’t be
more pleased with the quality of our home.”
Tony and Lesley have two sons. Cory
is 19 and a sophomore at the University of
Arkansas, Fayetteville, on academic scholar-
ship. He’s majoring in Economics and is a
member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity (KA).
continued on page 6
Lesley Cooper grew up in St. Charles, Missouri, near St. Louis. She always had an interest in radio and television, even having a weekly radio show when she was a teen in the St. Louis area. To pursue a degree in Radio and Television, she researched the colleges with the highest rated degree programs. She found one and in 1983, Lesley became a student at Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro.
The Cooper FamilyROOTED IN THE WOODS OF CHENAL
BY ELLEN E. WITHERS
CUNNINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Although they love vacations, make no mistake, the Cooper family loves their home in Chenal. “We’re long haul people,” Lesley said. “We plan to live here for the rest of our lives.”
6 Life in Chenal Life in Chenal 7
side with our neighbors. We’ve watched each
other’s children grow up and we remain close
to so many of them.”
“We’re lucky that Tony’s family lives in
Arkansas,” Lesley said. “We love being able to
see them often. He has two younger brothers
and I have two younger siblings, too. We have
three oldest children in our house.”
Lesley’s family loves to be together, but
with St. Charles farther away, it makes it hard-
er to coordinate everyone’s schedule. “We’re
all St. Louis Cardinals fans,” Lesley said. “My
father even has a brick with his name on it at
the new stadium.”
Tony grew up in Little Rock and graduated
from Hall High. He currently acts as the Boy
Scout Troop Charter Organization Represen-
tative for Troop 395, essentially the middle-
man between church and the troop. He also
plans Scout Sunday activities at the church.
“Tony and I both provided an incentive to
our boys to obtain their Eagle Scout,” Lesley
said. “We told them, ‘no wings, no wheels.’ It
was a great incentive to get Eagle before they’re
allowed to drive. Cory’s Eagle project was to
fix an erosion problem on the grounds of our
church. The Arkansas Game and Fish Com-
mission’s Stream Team helped him re-design
and change the landscape to stop the erosion.”
Lesley currently volunteers as a committee
co-chair for St. James UMC on their capital
campaign. She has served on many commit-
tees including two previous capital campaigns,
the Strategic Planning Team and has served on
the Church Council for the past two years. She
is also responsible for recruiting, training and
scheduling the acolytes at St. James.
Tony is a youth Sunday school teacher and
volunteers with the youth for other activities
as well. He has been a Cub Scout leader and
soccer coach in years past. This summer, he
and Lesley will act as chaperones for the youth
hand bell tour. “We call it the Interstate-40
tour,” Lesley said. “They charter a bus and
perform at assisted living centers, nursing
homes and churches. St. James actually has
three traveling choirs. I have to say our music
program at church is phenomenal.”
The Coopers enjoy traveling as a family,
too. “The boys have gone on a lot of mission
trips with their youth group,” Lesley said.
“One of our family’s favorite vacations is to
go to Drowsy Water Dude Ranch in Granby,
Colorado. We’ve been there twice as a family
and once, all 16 members of my family were
able to vacation there together. My parents ac-
tually took us to this same ranch when I was
16 years old. You’re assigned your own horse
for the week and you go on trail rides plus par-
ticipate in all sorts of fun activities like square
dancing and hayrides. I loved it then and I love
it now. I’m sure my boys would say it’s their
favorite vacation destination.”
At a Cancun resort vacation last March, the
Cooper family toured a Mayan village and zip
lined through the jungle. “I’m not sure what
this year’s vacation will be,” Lesley said. “It will
be entertaining and action-packed, I’m sure.”
Although they love vacations, make no mis-
take, the Cooper family loves their home in
Chenal. “We’re long haul people,” Lesley said.
“We plan to live here for the rest of our lives.” ■
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“Cory was a re-charter founding member
of KA and is currently the social chairman for
the fraternity,” Lesley said. “He’s a member of
StuMo, the Student Mobilization Ministry, on
campus. He’s also taken part in Kaleo Sum-
mer Ministries. He lives in Destin, Florida
during the summer and takes part in beach
evangelism. He also works full time while in
Destin and this year will be a leader with the
organization. He’s very devoted and involved
in his faith journey.”
Cory graduated from Central High School
with honors, including being an Advanced
Placement Scholar. He’s an Eagle Scout, plays
classical piano and has always been involved
at St. James United Methodist Church. He was
a member of their touring hand bell choirs and
was a Roll of Honor Acolyte. “He was always
a busy, busy, boy,” Lesley said. “We’re very
proud of him.”
Their younger son, Brett, is 14 and a fresh-
man at Central High School. Brett is a mem-
ber of Central High’s soccer team. “Brett has
played soccer since he was four years old,”
Lesley said. “He played for Pulaski Heights
Middle School as well the last two years and
usually plays a defensive role on the team.
He’s a big guy, nearly six feet tall and very
athletic. He also plays church league basket-
ball and is hoping to play football for Central
this Fall. He’s a great kicker so his interest in
football is understandable.”
Brett is also involved in Boy Scouts and is
working towards his Eagle Scout rank. He en-
joys playing drums and has been taking private
drum lessons. Like his older brother, Brett is an
academically gifted student, is a church acolyte,
tours with the travelling hand bell choirs, sings
in the church youth choir and is on the youth
leadership team at church. “We are so proud of
Brett as well,” Lesley said. “He’s a gifted stu-
dent, hard worker and all-around sweet guy.”
Teddy is the Cooper family dog. “This
eight year old Maltese thinks he’s in charge of
everybody and everyone in the neighborhood
knows him,” Lesley said. “He’s a great little
dog and is the neighborhood’s head squirrel
chaser. We had another Maltese that lived to
be 15 and a half before we got Teddy. He had
a high quality of life, just like Teddy does.”
There’s a lot of wildlife in Chenal that
makes good use of the Cooper land. “We love
watching nature,” Lesley said. “We’ve seen
a red fox in our yard, spotted deer and en-
joy the flying squirrels and ground squirrels.
Raccoons and possums have made an appear-
ance too, along with a multitude of interest-
ing birds, including falcons and bald eagles.”
To keep the feel of being in the country,
yet still within the city, they kept all the hard-
woods that were on their property initially.
They also have a green space that adds to their
wooded area. Tony, who is also a graphic art-
ist, built a beautiful deck onto their home. “To
accommodate the runoff from rain water, he
built a small bridge over a dry river bed in the
backyard,” Lesley said. “The bridge is named
the Samuel Atwill Bridge after a former neigh-
bor’s three year old son. Samuel knew we were
going to have a bridge on our property and
couldn’t wait to use it. When we ‘dedicated’
it for use, we had lots of fun by having a cer-
emony, complete with ribbon cutting. Samuel
was the one who cut the ribbon.”
A love of their neighbors is included in the
Cooper family enjoyment of living in Che-
nal. “We have really nice neighbors and most
have been here nearly as long as us,” Lesley
said. “Our kids loved growing up with nearby
friends. Once we had a hamster funeral and
the neighborhood kids came to the service.”
The Coopers host a block party every May
and invite families from 65 homes. “The resi-
dents of several streets come together to buy
pizzas, with a 5 dollar donation, and everyone
brings a treat,” Lesley said. “In addition to
the block party, we spend a lot of time out-
CUNNINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHY