| Zada Mary Cooper | |
| Birth Date: | 31 January 1875 |
| Birth Place: | Quasqueton, Iowa, US |
| Death Place: | Omaha, Nebraska, US |
| Alma Mater: | University of Iowa |
| Occupation: | College professor |
| Years Active: | 1897–1942 |
| Known For: | Founder of Kappa Epsilon and Rho Chi |
| Discipline: | Pharmacy |
| Workplaces: | University of Iowa College of Pharmacy |
Zada Mary Cooper (January 31, 1875 – May 6, 1961) was an American pharmacist and a professor of pharmacy at the University of Iowa. Cooper helped found the Women's Section of the American Pharmacists Association in 1912. She was its president in 1917. She founded the pharmacy fraternities Kappa Epsilon and Rho Chi.
Zada Mary Cooper was born in Quasqueton, Iowa on January 31, 1875.[1] She attended the Normal Institute in Independence, Iowa.[2] She graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 1897.[3] In 1898, she was the vice president of the university's Pharmaceutical Alumni Association.[4]
Cooper became a registered pharmacist on March 9, 1875. Beginning as an assistant, she worked at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy for 45 years, becoming an instructor in 1905, an assistant professor in 1912, and an associate professor in 1942.[5] She retired as a professor emeritus in 1942. She established and organized the department's first library. She was the founding editor of the College of Pharmacy's News, serving in this capacity from 1924 to 1942.
On July 9, 1909, Cooper was elected the vice president of the Iowa Pharmaceutical Association.[6] She helped found the Women's Section of the American Pharmacists Association in 1912.[7] She served on its Executive and Membership committees from 1913 to 1916 and was elected its president in 1917.
She founded the pharmacy fraternity Kappa Epsilon on May 13, 1921. She was its first chair, a grand council member, and edited its journal, The Bond. Cooper was also a founder of Rho Chi, an international honor society for pharmaceutical sciences. She held several of its offices, including secretary, executive council member, and vice president, and served as president from 1938 to 1940.
Cooper was active within the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and was successful in lobbying the American Association of University Women to accept membership from graduates of pharmacy colleges.[8]
Cooper was an honorary member of the national honor society Iota Sigma Pi.
She was one of the few women listed in American Men of Science (renamed American Men and Women of Science in 1971).
The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education dedicated its winter 1961 issue to Cooper for her work on its publication committee and her work with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. It included several articles about Cooper.
The Kappa Epsilon fraternity annually awards Zada M. Cooper Scholarships to five of its active collegiate members.[9]
On April 30, 2016, the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy held the Zada Cooper Leadership Symposium, featuring several speakers on the subject of pharmacy education.[10]
While working the university, Cooper lived in Red Oak, Iowa. She was regent of the Pilgram chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a membere of the University Club.
After retiring, Cooper lived with her two brothers in Villisca, Iowa. She died on May 6, 1961, in Omaha, Nebraska.