Shirley Cooper, who served as President of Ortho in 1976, died Nov. 30 in San Francisco. She was 82. The family suggests memorial donations to the Children's Defense Fund, 25 E St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, or the Ann Martin Center, 2150 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610.
Ellen Olshansky, former Ortho Board member and niece of Shirley Cooper represented the association at the memorial service on January 8, 2006.
In Memoriam
Shirley Cooper, 1923-2005
Remarks by
Ellen Olshansky, DNSc, RNC, FAAN
January 8, 2006
Shirley Cooper, while only about 5 feet tall, was truly one of the “giants” of Ortho. She served as President in 1975 during the heyday of Ortho’s activities. She was one of the visionaries who shaped the organization, and her influence on Ortho continues to this day. Her passion for Ortho was evident throughout her adult life. She cared deeply about promoting mental health and about social justice, the two cornerstones of Ortho. She cared about those in need and she worked actively to achieve the ideals in which she believed. She was also a feminist, promoting and supporting women to speak their minds and to share equally with men in organizational decision-making, as was evident in her leadership in Ortho as well as in other professional areas.
Shirley was born in 1923 in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of immigrants from Russia and Romania. She attended a school that was later named the Columbia University School of Social Work, earning her masters degree. She married Sol Cooper in 1941 (check on the date) and they moved to San Francisco. Shirley worked at Mount Zion Hospital’s psychiatric clinic in San Francisco, becoming the Chief Psychiatric Social Worker. She worked clinically with patients and she trained numerous psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers and she worked, from an organizational perspective, on developing mental health programs for the poor. In 1984 she began a private psychotherapy practice. Shirley co-authored a book titled “Children in Treatment A Primer for Beginning Psychotherapists” followed by “A Case Book of Child Psychotherapy.”
Her work in mental health has had national influence, as she has trained generations of child therapists who now practice in all parts of the country. Richard Ruth, a colleague of mine from the Ortho Board, specifically told me that he currently interacts with many therapists from the Doctor of Mental Health (DMH) program in San Francisco and he sees Shirley’s influence on their work.
Shirley had a commanding presence even if she was physically short: she was straightforward, she did not mince words, saying directly what she thought. She could be tough, but the toughness was rooted in a true caring. When I asked her to critique a draft of a paper I had written, she read it over and said, “Ellen, you can do better than this!”
Shirley did everything with passion. From cutting up vegetables in the kitchen for a new recipe or tending to her garden in her backyard on Belvedere Street or shopping at thrift stores for amazing bargains, to organizing political campaigns, protesting an injustice or taking on an important mental health issue, passion and energy were constantly apparent.
She enjoyed good food, good entertainment, and most importantly, she enjoyed family and friends. She kept a growth chart in the bathroom of the heights of all her grandchildren and grandnieces and nephews and children of close friends. She kept pictures of her the children in her life on her refrigerator. As her niece, I had the wonderful good fortune to have a special and close relationship with her. She was a true role model to me. When I was a young girl I played “social worker” with my cousin, Robin. And from whom did we get this idea? I think it is obvious!!
She devoted her work life to social justice and, specifically to the betterment of children’s mental health, as reflected in her work with Ortho. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Ortho, I am honored to remember Shirley as a pillar of strength in an organization that is devoted to mental health and social justice. And as her niece, I will sincerely miss the encouragement and the guidance she has given me throughout my own career and life.
Ellen Olshansky