Scope and Contents

Second to First by Harvey Cooper documents Cooper's three years in the United States Army from October 1963 to July 1966.

Biographical / Historical

Harvey Cooper was born in Miami, Florida and graduated from Mays High School. He attended Florida A&M University on a football scholarship. There he was a member of the football and baseball teams. Harvey enlisted in the Army in 1963 and served with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam. In Vietnam he received the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and the Air Medal. After he received his military discharge papers, he played professional baseball in the San Diego Padres organization and worked with Dade County Children. He married his hometown sweetheart, Geneva Jones, and they had one daughter named Karen, and a grandson named Joshua. Soon after his short baseball life, he went back to school and graduated from Florida International University and Nova University. He worked for Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a teacher and athletic coach.