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: Merlie Reeves of Salem had quite a party as she hit 90
Erin Rhoten joined in a birthday party parade Friday to celebrate Merlie Reeves’ 90th birthday on Friday, May 1. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Merlie Reeves’ calls out to friends and relatives driving by her Salem home on Friday, May 1, to…
PHOTO: And now a break from the pandemic
A drone camera captures fields of a yellow seed crop adjacent to orchards and fields of the Spring Valley area in west Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
PHOTO: ‘Naturally, in Salem’ features outdoor scenes from around the area
With April showers, Salem gardens are starting to put on their finest. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) When April showers come your way, don’t retreat to the living room and curl up with a good book. Reach for your camera, (or phone), and…
Not quite a century old, original Leslie Junior High School disappears
A view from a drone shows construction crews making progress to take down the old Leslie Junior High School, adjacent to South Salem High School. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The brick school house that was Leslie Junior High School opened in…
PHOTOS: Old Leslie Junior High School building demolished
A sign reminds spectators of COVID-19 prevention measures, as sidewalk superintendents gather to watch the demolition of the old Leslie Junior High School Wednesday, April 15 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Demolition began this week on the old Leslie Junior High School…
PHOTOS: In Salem, find refuge from the pandemic at Bush’s Pasture Park
A pollen-laden bee hovers near a camas root flower in Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) It happens every year in mid April, even during the coronavirus shutdown, the annual eye-popping burst of spring color in Bush’s Pasture…
And now for a break from the pandemic
The popular statue of former Gov. Tom McCall, in Salem’s Riverfront Park, has become a photo destination after getting a pandemic update. The statue of McCall, with a fly rod in one hand, and a steelhead in the other, has…
PHOTOS: This was a stay-in-your-car Easter service at west Salem church
Unable to conduct the usual Easter morning service in the chapel because of coronovirus restrictions, Pastor Seth Morley of the West Salem Christian Church delivered his sermon from a makeshift pulpit on a flatbed trailer parked in the church’s parking…
And now a break from the pandemic
The historic Oak Grove Church in west Salem at sunset recently. The church was built in 1882. Throughout Salem, churches will be unusually quiet on Easter Sunday, April 12, as congregations obey the state’s order to avoid large gatherings and…
PHOTOS: Crews from local construction company don protective gear to clean out first responder vehicles
Clad in full hazmat suits, employees of 3R’s Construction spray an antiviral disinfectant into the interior of a car from the Aumsville Police Department on Thursday. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The COVID-19 outbreak has kept first responders in Salem very busy.…