History of Cooper House
 

November 1925

A representative of Montgomery Presbytery’s Committee on Higher Education discussed with the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church session the importance of the church doing more work with college students.

November 1926

John Moore, a senior, was secured to assist in the work with VPI cadets.

June 1, 1946

Blacksburg Presbyterian Church employed the Rev.Dennis McCall Brown as a full-time Assistant Pastor to work with students.

September 1, 1950

When Rev. McCall resigned to head student work in Atlanta, Charles W. (“Charlie Bill”) Moore, a member of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, agreed to serve as director of student work for one year.

When Charles Moore left to enroll in Union Seminary, he was followed by the Rev. Robert Bluford as Assistant Minister in charge of student work.  Rev. Bluford was especially effective in barracks visitation and counseling; a number of students became professing Christians and members of BPC under his ministry.

September 1, 1951

Dr. Edward LeRoy Long, Jr., was employed to serve jointly at VPI and as minister to students at BPC.  Dr. Long introduced ethics courses at VPI and was eventually named head of the new Department of Philosophy and Religion at VPI in 1955.

January 1, 1955

William Jerry Boney, a senior at Union Seminary in New York, was called as an Assistant Pastor in charge of student work.  He was provided with rooms at the Old Manse on Roanoke Street with the downstairs for meeting rooms. 

1958-64

All members of the Campus Christian Life Committee, the campus ministry governing body, were members of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, appointed by the Session.

1958

The Rev. Hugh U. (“Woody”) Leach was called by Blacksburg Presbyterian Church as Assistant Pastor in Charge of Student Work.

1959

The office of the minister to students was moved to the new Blacksburg Presbyterian Church building at Church and Eakin Streets, where Westminster Hall and two adjoining rooms were provided for a student center.  Synod provided about one-third the cost of the new church as its contribution to student work.

1961

Offices for the ministry were moved to an apartment in the Old Mill Building on College Avenue.

1963-64

James Vande Berg served while Rev. Leach attended Yale Divinity School. 

1964

Disciples-Westminster Fellowship was formed, a merger of Disciples of Christ Church and Presbyterian student work. 

Disciples had representation on the CCL Committee and student representatives became full members of CCLC.

1967

Representatives from Northside Presbyterian Church were appointed to the CCL Committee.

1968

Synod’s Campus Christian Life Committee to which Synod funds were allocated for the support of campus ministries, arranged for Rev. Leach to be called as Coordinator for Ministry with Higher Education in Southwest Virginia by a joint committee representing both Northside and Blacksburg Presbyterian Churches and a representative from Presbytery, and responsible to Synod’s Campus Christian Life Committee.

1969

Mr. James Vande Berg was called as Associate Campus Minister. 

1970

A representative from Montgomery Presbytery was appointed to the CCL Committee.  The Cooper House building at 305 Washington Street was purchased and named for Dr. Byron Nelson Cooper, a Presbyterian Elder who had been active with the Presbyterian Campus Ministry.  Cooper served as treasurer of the CCL Committee and was instrumental in searching for the new facility.

1974

A representative from Synod (Ministry Group on Public and Higher Education) was named to the CCL Committee.

1979

Steve Darr joined staff as intern, later becoming Associate Campus Pastor.

1988

The relationship with the Disciples of Christ Church was dissolved.

June 30, 1993

Rev. Leach retired.  Sally Johnston was called to coordinate self-study of the ministry and to continue the current ministry.

January 1995

The Rev. Catherine C. Snyder was called as Campus Minister.