J.W. Cooper Center hosts 7th Annual Cooper Cup
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - A golfer attempts to get his ball out of a bunker during the 7th Annual Cooper Cup golf tournament at Orwigsburg's Schuylkill Country Club on August 11, 2017.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
ORWIGSBURG – The efforts to save a Shenandoah landmark are continuing, including the 7th edition of a golf tournament fundraiser.
The J.W. Cooper Community Center, headed by Schuylkill Haven’s Kent Steinmetz, held its 7th Annual Cooper Cup golf tournament at the Schuylkill Country Club in Orwigsburg on Friday, August 11.
Besides the golf tournament, door prizes were awarded, and golfers and guests were treated to lunch at the club, with entertainment provided by the band Dark Horse
The golf tournament is part of the ongoing fundraising effort to save the J.W. Cooper High School, which served as Shenandoah’s high school until 1981, and then the school district’s elementary center, after the borough’s smaller grade schools were consolidated into either the elementary center or the junior high school.
The building closed in 1994, after the completion of the current Shenandoah Valley Elementary Center, and sat abandoned until Steinmetz took ownership of the property in 2009.
Currently, the center is working on renovating the roof and installing an elevator near the rear of the building in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The golf tournament began at 9:00am, and awards were handed out at 2:00pm.
The team of Chick Schaeffer of Schuylkill Haven, Bill Donati of Schuylkill Haven, Terry Frantz of Pottsville, and Bob Rathman of West Reading, Berks County took home the event’s first place trophy.
Second place found Dennis Sites of Cressona, Stan Staller of Cressona, Mike Huebner of Orwigsburg, and Larry Strause of Landingvillle.
The event was sponsored by a multitude of local businesses, including Kowalonek’s Kielbasy Shop, Shenandoah; Yuengling Brewery, Pottsville; and Souchuck’s Lumber, Shenandoah; among others.
This reporter was also awarded a scholarship from the J.W. Cooper Center Endowment during the awards presentation.
About Author
