After decades spent fostering interest in the wild beauty of the universe, âCoopâ took his place among the heavens.
A fixture at Keystone College and founder and namesake of the Thomas G. Cupillari â60 Astronomical Observatory, the longtime physics, math and astronomy teacher died Sunday morning after a year-long battle with cancer, his family said. He was 81.
âKnown affectionally as âCoopâ to almost all who met him, Professor Cupillari was loved and respected by everyone at Keystone for his work educating students in the classroom and at the (observatory) in nearby Fleetville, which he founded and directed for so many years,â college spokesman Fran Calpin said in a statement. âHe was a true Keystonian and exemplified the values of Keystone each and every day. He will be greatly missed by all.â