Magazine 2024 Final Full Res v1 - Flipbook - Page 27
Bob Cooper. (1950) 21st May 1932 – 31st August 2023
We are sad to record the passing
of Bob Cooper, a senior member
of our Friday Lunch Club
gatherings.
Bob was very proud to be an
engineer, following in the
footsteps of his father, a
structural engineer and his uncles,
who were involved in
construc}on projects around the
world.
Around this }me, businesses
began to realise the poten}al of
computers and when the
company acquired access to a
computer, he read the manual
and volunteered to take it on.
Over the next few years, IT
became more and more
important to the business and he
ended up as IT Director in the
19809s. Eventually the company
At Whitgiv Middle School, he was was taken over and he moved on,
spending the last 10 years of his
a talented all round athlete, a
working life commu}ng to London
high jump record holder and
Bridge and working as an
hurdler. He went on to a琀琀end
Engineering Consultant.
Queen Mary College, London,
where he studied General
Bob9s re}rement was a fer}le
Engineering, specialised in in Civil period and he was able to spend
his }me doing the things he loved.
Engineering and indulged his
He got his 昀椀rst air ri昀氀e at the age
passion for cars, acquiring a
of 10 and target shoo}ng was a
sporty Aus}n 7.
life-long enthusiasm, which he
In 1956, he married his wife, Anne
con}nued into his 80s with the
and they were blessed with a
Chipstead and District Ri昀氀e Club,
son, Russell and daughters Zoe
becoming Chairman of the Club.
and Rose, with 9 grandchildren to
follow, a source of much pride
He had }me too, to focus on his
and pleasure.
enthusiasm for cars, restoring a
vintage Riley and designing and
Bob started his career with the
building a stylish sports car body
Port of London Authority, then
Arup, the renowned designers of for an Aus}n 7. He also became
involved in the Shell eco
the Sydney Opera House but, as
marathon for which he built an
his family grew, he moved to
entrant, powered by a modi昀椀ed
Epsom-based structural
motorcycle engine which
engineers, Howard Humphreys.
performed successfully at
Silverstone. This was followed by
other versions as he strove to
improve the e昀케ciency of the
engine, introducing exhaust gases
into a second cylinder and, in a
