Vivian Cooper passed away from cancer in 2009 but she will always hold a special place in my memory from the summer she spent as a life guard and one of the swimming team coaches at McAdenville in 1972. I still remember my surprise and excitement as she pulled up into the parking lot at the pool that summer and got out of her old blue beat-up Rambler Station Wagon. My first thought was what’s this cool, pretty girl doing driving that old thing. Taking a closer look, I realized it was Vivian Cooper. I didn’t know her personally but I did know who she was for two reasons.