MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Little is known about a local soldier for whom a tree stands on the campus of Minot State University. The 100th observance of the U.S. entry into World War I this year has drawn attention back to Fred Otis Cooper, a student killed during the war, and the tree planted in his honor more than 90 years ago.
MSU history professor Joseph Jastrzembski told the Minor Daily News (https://bit.ly/2sR9TWs ) that his students have been researching the lost memorial for Cooper and another student killed in combat, Henry Finn, on the campus of MSU, then Minot Normal School. Plans are to install a new memorial this fall.
The dedication of an elm tree in 1922 to Finn, who died battle in 1919, has been well documented. Information related to Cooper has been sketchy but has been becoming clearer with research in recent weeks.
Records and newspaper accounts indicate Cooper was born in Halfway, Missouri, on April 22, 1894. He was inducted into the military at Washburn on April 28, 1918. His mother was living in Benedict.
Private Cooper was wounded in September 2018 during the Battle of St. Mihiel in northeastern France, the first independent American offensive of the war. He returned to the states for treatment. He was discharged on April 21, 1919, and died at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., on June 28, 1919, from injuries sustained on the battlefield.
He was buried in Movius (Pleasant View) Cemetery in Lidgerwood. The grave marker gives a death date of June 27, 1919.
In 1920, a memorial tablet honoring Normal School members who served in the war was dedicated. Cooper’s name is listed on the tablet, which hung in Old Main for a time and now hangs in Memorial Hall.
In April 1922, the senior class planted an elm as a memorial to Finn, 23, who lost his life at Chateau Thierry in France in 1918. A Portal resident and farmer, Finn studied at Minot Normal School during the winters of 1914-15 and 1915-16.
Thanks to the efforts of history buff Mark Berg, information on the memorial for Cooper has been tracked down in newspaper records. On May 28, 1926, the student assembly was held to plant an elm near the Finn tree in honor of Cooper. The gathering sang “America” and the national anthem, and Virginia Settle of Williston gave a short talk on the life and character of Cooper. Finn’s parents were in attendance.
The memorial also was marked by a garden and two crosses. Finn’s tree was removed in 2010 for safety reasons, and all that remains today in the area of the memorial is one tree. The tree has been identified as a green ash, but based on location, it is believed to the tree planted for Cooper. The traditional memorial tree for World War I veterans is the elm, so it is unknown whether a green ash might have been planted by mistake.
The intent is to plant two elms for Finn and Cooper in a new campus location, marked with a permanent monument. A fund has been established through the MSU Foundation. Donations can be sent to the foundation at MSU Advancement, 500 University Avenue West, Minot, ND 58707. Donors should specify they want their gifts to go to the MSU World War I Memorial Fund.
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Information from: Minot Daily News, https://www.minotdailynews.com
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