03/01/2026
♦️On what would be his 95th birthday, the Sun City NUPEs would like to take a moment to recognize one of our late charter members, Bro. Bennie D Cooley♦️
Brother Bennie D. Cooley
(Chapter Invisible)
March 1, 1931 – May 20, 2025
Brother Bennie D. Cooley began his journey of service by joining the U.S. Army in 1951. In 1954, he pursued higher education at Savannah State University, where he majored in Mathematics. During his time there, in 1955, he proudly pledged Gamma Chi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Upon graduation, Bennie relocated to El Paso, Texas, to start his career at White Sands Missile Range.
In 1958, Bennie married Nell Grant, and the following year they welcomed their son, Hector. On July 20, 1962, Bennie and 20 other Kappa Brothers residing in El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, submitted the necessary documentation to the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Grand Chapter to establish a new Alumni Chapter. This chapter, known as the El Paso – Las Cruces Alumni Chapter (EP-LC Alumni Chapter), was officially chartered on October 13, 1962, with Bennie proudly serving as one of its founding members.
Bennie also served as the Polemarch of the EP-LC Alumni Chapter three times and held the role of Southwestern Province Senior Vice Polemarch under Province Polemarch James Mitchell.
The Cooley family moved to St. Louis in 1966 and then to Washington, D.C., in 1968. Shortly thereafter, Bennie made the important decision to prioritize his family over his career, leading him to resign from his position. He returned to El Paso, where he dedicated himself to teaching middle school Mathematics.
In 1972, Bennie expanded his entrepreneurial ventures by purchasing a full-service gas station in El Paso, Utah. He later sold the gas station to return to teaching. Subsequently, he invested in a series of self-service car washes, which he managed until his retirement in 2016, following his teaching retirement in 1991.
Brother Bennie D. Cooley passed away on May 20, 2025, in South Carolina. A devoted Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., his legacy of leadership, dedication, and community service will be deeply missed. 👌🏾♦️