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Rusty Cooper was a native Arizonan, born and reared in Chandler.  When he graduated from Chandler High School in 1970, he entered Mesa Community College, planning to eventually major in education.  However, as so often happens, life got in the way of his goal and he found himself responsible for the support of a family.  He rode the range for awhile and then became an electrician.

We met in June, 1990, just after I'd had a shell (quite literally four walls & a toilet) built on Columbine.  On his first visit to the cabin, as Rusty walked into the back yard, he was scolded by the squirrels and bombarded with green, black walnut skins.   He turned to me, grinned, and immediately became a "Creekie".  Together we worked to finish the inside of the cabin, with lots of help from all of our wonderful friends and neighbors in Christopher Creek.  Rusty was a perfectionist and he created a beautiful home on the banks of Christopher Creek.

Several years later, Rusty made the courageous decision to return to his dream of becoming a teacher.  He quit his job as an electrician for a large valley firm and enrolled in college. At first the going was tough, but his perfectionism won out.  Rusty was a straight A student and a natural teacher and leader.  He was frequently called upon to lead study groups and/or group projects.  In the fall of 1995, Rusty began his student teaching in the fourth grade at Jacobson Elementary School in Chandler Unified School District.  He was excited about working with his class and had lots of stories to tell every evening.  Rusty's student teaching evaluations were wonderful.  His dream was actually coming true.

Meanwhile, the cabin was almost complete.  Rusty was determined that the cabin would be completed by Christmas so we could gather our families and celebrate our first Christmas at Christopher Creek.  He said 1996 would be the year of new beginnings.  We were at the cabin the weekend of November 2 to meet John Monk and install our last kitchen cabinet.  John and Rusty got the cabinet in and we were delighted with the progress we were making.  Late that afternoon, Rusty felt dizzy and short of breath.  He went upstairs to take a nap.....and never woke up.  He had a massive heart attack.  Our wonderful team from Christopher Creek Fire Dept. did everything they could to save him.  It just wasn't meant to be.  He died one week short of completing his student teaching.

Rusty's brothers accepted his diploma posthumously to a standing ovation.  In the audience were many of the wonderful people we had come to know and love in Christopher Creek.  These friends had been so proud of Rusty for making this change in his life, and had supported him every step of the way.  Rusty's  friends lamented the fact that all of Rusty's future students would be forever denied his wisdom and guidance.  They decided that there must to be someway Rusty could affect the lives of young people.  Thus, the Rusty Cooper Memorial Golf Tournament was born.

This was our fifth tournament, and to date, we had distributed $11,000 to five Payson High School graduates.  In May, we awarded two more scholarships.  Our golf tournaments are incredibly successful, due to the hard work of lots of people.  The chief movers and shakers are Patty & Larry Boeschling, Candice Hart, and Power Webb.  However, their efforts are augmented by many residents of the creek and the valley.  Of course, none of this could happen with the support of sponsors and players.  We hope you will lend your support to this worthwhile endeavor by encouraging your readers to participate in our annual tournaments.  They can pick up entry forms at The Landmark and The Creekside.