This is cool: Serving the community by the book (11-14-25)

My 4-year-old grandson loves wearing what he calls “neck shirts.” You and I call them tank tops. Whenever I visit, I have to be sure to pack a neck shirt to sleep in, per his request. He thinks it makes me look cool, like him.

So, on the morning of Nov. 6, I smiled and thought of my grandson when I saw a third-grader at Gulf Shores Elementary School – wearing a tank top, mind you – smile and say, “This is so cool!”

The reason for him saying that was pretty cool. I was there with a couple other members of the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Rotary Club – Dr. Lyle Cooper and Sharon Ahola – delivering dictionaries to third-graders. It was our second stop of the day, having first visited Orange Beach Elementary School to hand deliver a new dictionary to each third-grader there, too.

One thing was in common with stops at each class – many smiles and plenty of “thank yous” from students and teachers.

It's a community service project of the Rotary Club that Cooper has helped lead for the past several years, handing out thousands of new dictionaries to third-grade students.

Speaking of service, that what this week’s column was originally going to be about – the years of service Cooper has provided to the community as a chiropractor: 41 years. He followed his father, Keith Cooper, into the profession. His father practiced for 57 years in Robertsdale.

Students, do your math: That’s 98 years of combined medical care the Coopers have provided in Baldwin County. Talking about that accomplishment was the original focus of this story. But then I had the opportunity to participate in handing out dictionaries. That turned the page on more words, blending dictionary definitions with Dr. Cooper’s career.

Service we’ve mentioned. Its definition from the “Student’s Dictionary” handed out: “A job that one performs for others.”

The dictionary project is just one of many involving Rotary Club members – here, across the country and internationally. Rotary is one of several civic organizations this area is blessed to have for such community service.

Likewise, providing medical service is something Cooper said has always interested him.

“I looked at many aspects of the medical world,” said Cooper, who has been married to his wife, Denise, for 40 years. “I became a first responder/EMT and drove an ambulance as well as worked in the emergency room in Chicago, where I went to chiropractic college. I decided I really liked the natural side of medicine and would try to help others without the use of drugs and surgery. While in school, I took extra classes to learn and currently practice acupuncture.”

There’s more to his service in the community, too.

“We have attended church at Gulf Shores Methodist for 40 years and were married there, so we like to participate in all church events. There are also all of the Rotary functions and events. I have been a member of Rotary for 40 years. In my past I was an Eagle Scout, then I was a Scoutmaster/leader for 25 years, and all three of my sons are Eagle Scouts.”

How about the word devotion: “Dedication, affection, love.”

Again, that applies to Cooper’s career and his affection for this community.

“I was born at Foley Hospital, way back when they first built it. I knew I wanted to move back to Baldwin County. The beach was a great place for me because I enjoyed windsurfing, running and biking triathlons. The people here always have been so nice and easy going. Maybe it's because so many have retired to the area. We moved here when Gulf Shores was small (1,000 people), but I thought there was a great potential for growth. I have never considered moving anywhere else. Many people retire here, they will ask where I am going to retire? I say I am already here.”

Let’s look up the word change, as in the number of changes he has seen here throughout being in business 41 years: Change – “a transformation, the process of becoming different.” 

“The biggest changes in the area? Probably just about everything you see now.  The high-rise condos and so much traffic are the big differences. I live about 4.5 miles south of my office, living in the same house we moved into 40 years ago. Then, I could drive home and not see another car along the way on Highway 59. And If I saw a car, I knew the person driving! I also miss bonfires on the beach.”

And finally, how about the word enjoy when it pertains to continuing his career. “Enjoy: To take pleasure in.”

“I have taken care of many folks over the years; some I have seen on a regular basis for over 35 years. I have treated babies as young as a few days old, and have seen patients up to 99-years-old. The fact that I can help people feel good again, get relief from pain and get some long-term improvements is what I enjoy the most – having elderly patients who are unable to walk, begin to walk again; youngsters with weak immune systems become strong again; and young pregnant moms able to move without pain. Chiropractic is about regaining the God-given natural balance of your body and maintaining that balance. I plan to practice just as long as I can physically continue.”

You know, that is pretty cool.

From left, Lyle Cooper II, counselor at Orange Beach Elementary School, Rotary Club member Sharon Ahola and Dr. Lyle Cooper prepare to hand out dictionaries to students at the school Nov. 6. (Wayne Smith photo)

The cover of the dictionary handed out to third-graders at Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Elementary Schools on Nov. 6 by Rotary Club members.