Lois Cooper
Lois Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 November 1931 Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | 26 January 2014 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles State College, University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Employer | Caltrans |
Lois Louise Cooper (November 25, 1931 – January 26, 2014)[1] was a transportation engineer and the second woman and first African American woman to pass the professional engineers license exam in California.[2] During her career at Caltrans, Cooper worked on major highway infrastructure projects across California as well as early Carpool lanes and bikeways.[2][3]
Early life and education
Cooper was the first in her family to graduate from high school,[3] and upon graduating she started a law degree at Tougaloo College. She may have left for a number of reasons, to be closer to her mother,[2] for financial reasons[4] or because she wanted to change to study mathematics.[5]
In California she joined Los Angeles City College, and changed to studying mathematics[2] and later studied at Los Angeles State College. During her degree study she was often the only Black woman in the class.[6] She graduated in 1954, but continued her engineering studies at University of Southern California alongside her work.[3]
Career
Before completing her degree in Mathematics, Cooper first applied for a role at the California Department of Architecture but was rejected once the interviewer met her and realised she was a woman.[6]
In 1953, Cooper was hired as an Engineering Aide by the Engineering Department at the California Department of Transportation or Caltrans, and was the first African American woman to be hired there.[2] Much of her early role was calculating the alignment for highway infrastructure projects such as the Century Freeway,[2] the San Diego Freeway, the Long Beach Freeway, the San Gabriel River Freeway, and the Riverside Freeway.[7] Many of the Interstate Highway construction projects at the time were being built through predominantly Black and low-income neighbourhoods. The Civil Rights Division at Caltrans, of which Cooper was a part, ensured that projects were mandated to hire minority construction workers from these communities.[2]
She was a skilled mathematician, who was often called upon to help her white, male engineer colleagues, to fix mistakes and solve problems.[8]
Cooper was the second woman and first black woman pass the Professional Engineers License Exam in California,[2] doing so on her first attempt.[6]
Later in her career she was the first female director of the First Diamond Lane,[2] a programme which delivered the pre-cursors to Carpool Lanes. She was also involved in the design of the first bikeway.[3]
She retired in 1991[4] but continued mentoring and teaching young engineers into her retirement.[5]
Cooper died in 2014.[2]
Memberships and legacy
In the 1970s[2] Cooper was the first woman to join the Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers (LACBPE)[4] and participated in outreach programmes[2] such as the Engineering Orientation Class Project (EOCP).[6] She became their first woman president serving[9] 1975-1976.[4]
Cooper was also a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.[10]
There are a number of scholarships and awards named in Cooper's honor:
- WTS-LA Lois Cooper Going the Distance Award
- Lois Cooper Scholars program at the University of Wisconsin[3]
References
- ↑ Sammons, Vivian O. (1990). Blacks in science and medicine. Internet Archive. New York : Hemisphere Pub. Corp. ISBN 978-0-89116-665-8.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Nester, Jackie (November 12, 2015). "Women engineers of the 20th century: Meet Lois Cooper". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Women's History Month: Who Are Some of the Women Engineers We Should Know?". March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers 2019 (LACBPE) (May 10, 2019). "Celebrating 50 Years". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - 1 2 "Episode 69: Lois Cooper". She Builds Podcast. January 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Wells + Associates (February 9, 2021). "Lois Cooper: First Black Woman Transportation Engineer at Caltrans Black History Month". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ Great Dane. "The Transportation Industry's Most Influential African Americans". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ Barron, Jacob (February 9, 2022). "Black Leaders in Transportation: Meet Lois Cooper". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ "African American Heritage Month - Celebrating Innovators". LADOT. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ "(1236) Lois Cooper, Portrait". 1989. Retrieved April 6, 2026.