Cooper Donnie Cass was born in Yadkin County in 1903. He and his family moved to Winston-Salem when Cooper was 14, and he graduated from R. J. Reynolds High School in 1924.
While he was at Reynolds High School, Cooper participated on the baseball, basketball and football teams. In his yearbook, Cooper’s nickname was “Cooper Darling.”
After graduation, Cooper worked as purchasing agent for the City of Winston-Salem. And in 1934, he became the purchasing agent and building manager for Wachovia Bank & Trust Company.
In 1945, when he was 42 years old, Cooper took a chance and invested in a ballpoint pen that was advertised as being able to write underwater. He bought several thousand pens, established a business to sell them and other products, and turned a $10,000 profit in the first two years. This business was known an the Cooper D. Cass Company, Inc., and it had branches in Raleigh, Charlotte and Asheville. The company sold office equipment and was the regional distributor for the 3M Company. Cooper sold his company in 1979.
Before his retirement, he became active in state politics, and worked with North Carolina governors to attract industry to the state. He was also active in community affairs, and served as commissioner of the chamber of commerce.
Cooper passed away in 1990.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
