May 8, 1924 - December 4, 2020
Written by Karen Boysen, Richard’s daughter
Richard Strother Cooley ’42, passed on Dec. 4, 2020 at the age of 96. Prior to Friends, “Dick” had attended a private school in Cleveland and one in NYC. His educational experiences were less than fulfilling, and he truly did not enjoy school. He often told his family that from his first day at Friends, everything changed. He engaged and thrived, both academically and socially, and for the rest of his life he characterized those years as some of the best in his life. He made lifelong friendships with fellow classmates Richard Scully, Jack Milici and Rene Mastrovito. The four got together annually, and their spouses and children became close through the decades that followed. His dear friend Marion Cleveland Cohen ’43 remained a lifelong friend as well and was godmother to Dick’s son. After serving as a radio operator in WWII, Dick went on to receive his BA from Washington & Lee University and his Masters in Education from Rutgers. He was head of the math departments at both Far Hills Country Day School (Far Hills, NJ) and The Buckley School (NYC), before retiring in 1990.