Guided by compassion and a passion for fairness, Drs. Juliette and John Cooper decided to leave a legacy to strengthen health care for all.
I was born in Texas some years ago when my dad, John Cooper, was doing a post-doc in genetics. One day, feeling ill, he crawled across the campus in severe pain and made his way to the university hospital’s emergency department. It turned out he needed an appendectomy right away.
When he was ready for discharge a couple of days later, they presented him with an enormous bill and wouldn’t let him leave the building until he paid. As it happened, he had forgotten to take his wallet with him when he crawled across the campus. When they realized that he had a “Dr.” before his name—he had a PhD in genetics—they apologized and let him go retrieve his wallet. The fact that they started treating him differently once they made an assumption about his station in life was revolting to him. (In reality, as a young post-doc, he had very little money at the time!)
Not long after, when my dad was offered a renewal of his position, he and my mom, Juliette (Archie), decided it was time to come back to Canada. The story goes that when they crossed the border into Manitoba, my mom got out of the car and literally kissed the ground.
Equity and fairness in health care have always been important to my parents. They always saw universal access to top-quality care as a right, not a privilege—it was a view that profoundly informed my parents’ decision to leave gifts in their wills to the HSC Foundation, thereby becoming members of the Bannatyne Legacy Circle.
Their decision was further solidified when my dad received compassionate, expert care at Health Sciences Centre in 2018. Their decision to join the Bannatyne Legacy Circle was an expression of gratitude as well as a reflection of their values.
Another reason they stepped forward is that my mom has always deeply understood the role of philanthropy in health care. In fact, she’s had a front row seat for a long time. Dr. Archie Cooper is a legendary occupational therapy educator at the University of Manitoba’s College of Rehabilitation Sciences on the HSC campus. She has seen how important HSC Foundation funding is to the provision of high-quality care and to the advancement of research.
Like my dad, who passed away in 2022, my mom is passionate about education. She earned three degrees in 10 years—culminating in a PhD at the age of 45—and she is still teaching a new generation of allied health professionals. Earlier in her career, she served as Director of the School of Medical Rehabilitation (as it was once known) and Associate Dean (Allied Health) at the Faculty of Medicine. She even served as Interim Dean at the Faculty of Music.
Given all the things that mattered to my parents as a couple—and still matter to my mom—my sister Pilar and I were not at all surprised when our parents shared the news with us in 2019 that they were leaving gifts in their wills to the HSC Foundation. It was an obvious decision (it would have actually been surprising if they hadn’t!). Not only did we accept and understand their decision, we celebrated it. 
My parents were great together; they were very much devoted to each other and loved each other deeply. They really, really enjoyed each other. They supported each other through career transitions and life changes; they shared a wacky sense of humour—often poking fun at each other; they were joyful; and they both loved learning more and more about the world around them.
They were with each other every step of the way as they always were for my sister and me as we went through our own transitions and challenges.
Above all else, though, the fact that they shared the same values in life was central to their success as a couple and at the core of their decision to support the HSC Foundation. They believed in fairness, kindness, and generosity. “If you’re fortunate enough to live in good circumstances,” they taught us, “it is your responsibility to help others.”
It’s a good lesson for us all.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Cooper
P.S. My parents really enjoyed the process of becoming members of the Bannatyne Legacy Circle. Click here to read their legacy story. To start your own legacy giving journey contact Irma McKenzie at the Health Sciences Centre Foundation at [email protected] or by phone at 204-515-5624 or at 1-800-679-8493 (toll-free).
