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BPA dedicates switchyard in memory of John Cooley III

Mary Ann Cooley, stands in front of the John J. Cooley III 500-kV Switchyard, dedicated in memory of her late husband, a helicopter pilot for the Bonneville Power Administration who died while stringing conductor wires in August. (Kandis Carper / The Spokesman-Review)
By Kandis Carper kandisc@spokesman.com
Mary Ann Cooley, stands in front of the John J. Cooley III 500-kV Switchyard, dedicated in memory of her late husband, a helicopter pilot for the Bonneville Power Administration who died while stringing conductor wires in August. (Kandis Carper / The Spokesman-Review)

Mary Ann Cooley clutched a green guest book close to her heart. In the book were the names of about 600 people who had offered their condolences for the loss of her husband John J. Cooley III.

“Cooley,” as everyone called him, died Aug. 17 at 57 when his Bell 206B helicopter crashed on property owned by Kaiser Aluminum. He was a stringing conductor for the Grand Coulee- Bell No. 6 transmission line project to energize the 500kV switchyard.

According to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, his helicopter crashed when the rope attached to the helicopter began to retract. The force of the rope pulled the tail of the helicopter down and the nose up before it went down.

Last week, co-workers and friends added their names to the guest book when Bonneville Power Administration dedicated the John J. Cooley III 500-kV Switchyard in his memory. The switchyard is located near Hawthorne and Nevada.

Cooley was a 25-year employee of the BPA, where in addition to stringing lines to the huge steel towers, he flew helicopter line patrol in eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana.

He learned to fly in Vietnam while serving as a warrant officer in the U.S. Army. Cooley was a decorated veteran, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star.

The dedication ceremony was the fourth memorial held in Cooley’s honor. The first was held in Cheney, at Cooley’s home; the second over Labor Day weekend in Novato, Calif., where Mary Ann’s family lives and the third in October, near Savannah, Ga., where Cooley grew up.

In his remarks at the dedication ceremony, BPA administrator Steve Wright said that Cooley “is a true American hero in time of war, in time of peace.” Wright talked about flying with Cooley in July, saying that he was a trusted friend and co-worker, dedicated to BPA’s mission. “The project he was working on will improve the quality of life for the people of the Northwest,” said Wright.

Vickie VanZandt, the senior vice president of BPA’s Transmission Business Line, choked back tears during her remarks, saying that the work Cooley did helped keep the lights on and the economy thriving – work that will last long after us.

“We will never forget this incredible person,” said VanZandt.

Mary Ann’s brother, Gary Corda, accepted the dedication on behalf of the family. He told the crowd that Cooley died on the 30th anniversary of his and Mary Ann’s first kiss. The couple was married for 28 years, and even though he didn’t have kids of his own, Cooley could really relate to children. Corda described Cooley as a self-taught man who loved to watch PBS.

How would Cooley feel about the dedication and all the acclaim? Outwardly Cooley would say, “Why are you making such a big deal of this? But inwardly he would be very proud,” said Corda.