Ron Cooper
Photographer Ron Cooper and his wife Penny moved to Salem in 1969 to take a job as photographer at the Oregon Statesman (later the Statesman Journal). Their three children, Monica, Kimberly, and Christopher, attended and graduated from Salem public schools. Cooper retired from the Statesman Journal in 2001 but, has continued his passion for photography in many ways, including as a photographer for the Salem Reporter.
PHOTOS: Aerial views over Gates reveal fire’s rampage
A worker starts the big job of cleaning up debris in Gates. The community was hit hard by fires on Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, triggered in part by power lines toppled as high winds hit the Santiam Canyon. (Ron…
PHOTOS: As smoke clears, Santiam Canyon damage emerges in detail
A carved eagle stands guard over remnants of a business along Oregon Highway 22 in Gates on Saturday, Sept. 19. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) GATES – As wildfires exploded into fast-moving furies on Labor Day, high winds dropped power lines in…
PHOTOS: With a namesake amphitheater in mid-construction, a Salem legacy gets his first glance
Gerry Frank, Oregon legacy and Salem resident, was the guest of Salem Rotary on Friday, Aug. 28, at the construction site of the Gerry Frank Salem Rotary Amphitheater. It was the 96-year-old Frank’s first look at the site since construction…
PHOTO: Aerial of the new Salem police station
The new Salem police station is set to open in October. (Ron Cooper/Special to Salem Reporter) Construction is moving ahead on schedule for the new Salem police station. Northeast Liberty Street is expected to reopen on Monday. Northeast Division Street…
As restrictions ease in Salem, small events such as weddings and funerals resume
Determined not to let their planned wedding day be disrupted by the pandemic, Alex Younger and Sara Foreman found a venue in a West Salem home, keeping to the June date they set long ago. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Weddings, funerals,…
And now a break from Salem’s pandemic
Customers browse through the Thursday West Salem Farmer’s Market on Edgewater Street which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. until mid-September. On Saturdays, the Salem Saturday Market runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 865 Marion St. N.E.…
PHOTOS: The flower gardens at Adelman are open – a free escape from the pandemic
The peonies are in bloom and available for sale or just to enjoy at Adelman Peony Gardens northeast of Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) A bright swath of color spreads across 25 acres of open farmland north of Salem from mid…
And now for a break from Salem’s pandemic
Workers for Schreiner’s Iris Gardens, north of Salem, harvest among colorful rows of blooming irises. Schreiner’s is a popular destination for flower lovers but is closed for the first time in the garden’s 95-year history due to the pandemic. Irises…
And now a break from the pandemic in Salem
Salem musicians Dan Wetzel and Kristen Grainger, unable to perform at indoor venues due to COVID-19 restrictions, invited friends and neighbors to a free outdoor Mother’s Day concert on May 10. The performance was in Fairmount Park on South Rural…
PHOTOS: A high-altitude salute to Salem’s health care workers, first responders
Two F-15 Eagles from the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard soar above the Capitol on Friday, May 8, to honor Salem health care workers and first responders. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The perfect blue sky made for…