A founder of the Society of Black Engineers at Purdue
Frederick S. “Fred” Cooper III earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1974. While at Purdue, he was a three-year starter for the Boilermakers football team and a defensive captain his senior season. In 1971, while an engineering student, Cooper, with Edward Barnette, approached the dean of Engineering with the idea of creating the Society of Black Engineers (SBE), which evolved into the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in 1975. Cooper served as president of Purdue’s SBE chapter from 1972 to 1974. After graduating from Purdue, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions and played as a defensive back for two seasons. Cooper then joined the Bell System, where he spent 25 years in positions in engineering, product marketing, project management, manufacturing planning, technical sales support, international market development, and product management. Today, the NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the world, with more than 31,000 members worldwide.