Cooper grew up in West Virginia with a single mom who struggled to pay the bills, Afro Tech reports. She worked as a live-in housekeeper, and Cooper recalls what a hard worker she was, according to the Post. When Cooper’s senior year in high school rolled around, his mother could not afford to pay his tuition. Cooper decided to drop out of school and convinced his mother to move the family to Philadelphia to be closer to relatives.

The 101-year-old started his career at a woman’s apparel store and later, in 1945, was hired as a city trolley car operator.

It wasn’t easy for Cooper, who endured great racism and torment during his early days in the position.

“I wouldn’t want to repeat some of the things people said to me when they saw me operating the trolley. We had to have the National Guard on board to keep the peace,” he told the Post.

After trolleys were phased out in favor of buses, Cooper became a bus driver and, later, ran for office in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s Local 234 union. He held the position of president and, in 1980, was the vice president of the International Transport Workers Union in New York City.

Still, Cooper craved a high school diploma.

He said he thought it wouldn’t be possible for him to get his diploma.

“As time went on, I thought it was probably too late, so I put it behind me and made the best of the situation,” he said.

But Cooper’s stepdaughter Marion Beckerink and son-in-law Rod Beckerink refused to accept that. The Beckerinks started to work with Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the Jefferson School District in 2021 to organize a special surprise ceremony in Jersey City to award Cooper an honorary high school diploma.

The ceremony, which was held on March 19, was a huge success, with Cooper wearing a cap and gown.

“I never imagined that anything like this could happen,” Cooper said, according to the Post.