Tag: The Herbert Gray Cooley Memorial Scholarship

Herb Cooley Memorial Scholarship established

February 20, 2026 Zach Cooley No Comments

My father, Herbert Gray Cooley, was born in rural Grayson County on October 25, 1942. He graduated from Galax High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, followed by a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Before beginning what would become a 45-year career in law enforcement, my father served four years in the United States Coast Guard as a radio operator. In 1966, he joined the High Point Police Department, where he worked his way through the ranks as a patrol officer, traffic officer, detective, and ultimately narcotics sergeant. After eight years with the department, he joined the North Carolina Office of the Public Defender before returning to his Southwest Virginia roots in 1980 to serve as Chief Deputy of the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. During his 14 years in Wythe County, my father helped shape much of the community we live in today. Many of the initiatives he put in place continue to make Wytheville safer—not just for residents, but for future generations, including his granddaughter Bella, who can walk its streets because of the protections he helped establish. As longtime chairman of the Transportation Safety Commission, he played a critical role in implementing traffic safety ordinances that continue to save lives. As Chief Deputy, he also launched the county’s first D.A.R.E. program, believing that prevention and education in drug resistance were just as important as enforcement. He secured numerous grants to strengthen public safety while conserving taxpayer dollars, a balance he took very seriously. He was also instrumental in bringing the 911 emergency system to Wythe County through his leadership on the Local Emergency Planning Committee. Beyond his professional duties, my father served tirelessly in numerous civic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Rural Retreat Lake Authority, the Ivanhoe Civic League, and the Wytheville Masonic Lodge. He chaired committees for the Chautauqua Festival through the Wythe Arts Council and organized and coached men’s and women’s softball teams throughout the county. One of the proudest moments of his career came in 1983, when he graduated from the FBI National Academy, training alongside officers from every U.S. state and 11 foreign countries. Being invited to attend the Academy is an honor; successfully completing it is an even rarer achievement. He later served as president of the Wytheville–Wythe–Bland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the American Legion. In 1994, my father left Wythe County to serve as Chief of Police in Pulaski, a position he held until 2000. He then completed the final 11 years of his career as Chief of Police for the Vinton Police Department. Under his leadership, the department achieved full state accreditation through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, becoming one of the first police departments in the Commonwealth to earn that distinction. He also served as president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. In 2011, he retired after a remarkable 45-year career in public service. As a writer, I was honored to publish Herb Cooley: The Law Enforcement Legacy of My Father, an Amazon bestselling biography released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his entry into law enforcement. In 2024, my father was further honored with his inclusion on the Civic Monument Wall of Honor in Withers Park in Wytheville. When he passed away peacefully on October 26, 2025—one day after his 83rd birthday—I knew immediately that establishing a scholarship would be the most meaningful way to continue his legacy. I contacted Deanna Bradbury, Director of Institutional Advancement at Wytheville Community College, who helped guide me through the process of creating the scholarship. Establishing it at WCC felt especially appropriate, as my father served as a Police Science instructor there in the 1990s. Among his former students is the current Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Jim Harrington. I am deeply honored to share that the Chief Herbert Gray Cooley Memorial Scholarship for Public Service has now been officially established. The scholarship is designed to assist students at Wytheville Community College who are studying Criminal Justice or pursuing careers in public service, including first responders. It supports students who face financial barriers that could otherwise derail their education, helping cover costs such as textbooks, tuition, and related expenses. Administered through the WCC Educational Foundation, the scholarship provides one-time, non-repayable assistance to students in good academic standing who live within the college’s service region. Award amounts may vary, but the mission remains constant: to keep good people moving forward. This scholarship is a fitting tribute to a man who spent his life opening doors and saving countless lives. I am profoundly grateful to the donors who made this vision a reality: Chief Debra Duncan of the High Point University Campus Police; retired Captain Steve Campbell of the High Point Police Department; Carl and Kimberly Ayers; Bill and Faron Smith; and Kathryn Knack Hagwood, Attorney at Law, PC. Without their generosity, this scholarship would not exist. I am also deeply thankful to Deanna Bradberry and Dr. Dean Sprinkle, President of Wytheville Community College, for helping make the scholarship official. Continued support will be essential to sustain the fund and help students year after year. Through this effort, my mission is simple: to ensure that the sacrifices and service of Herbert Gray Cooley—to this community and many others—are never forgotten.

Strictly Observing

Missing my Dad at Christmas

December 24, 2025October 7, 2026 Zach Cooley No Comments

It is Christmas Eve. Growing up, I looked forward to this day more than any other. It was when my mother, my sister, and I would gather to celebrate Christmas together as a family. Those memories feel even more precious now, having lost my father. When I interviewed him three years ago for his 80th birthday on my podcast, he told me that some of the happiest moments of his life were our Christmas Eve celebrations. “Your mother always knew how to take Christmas to the next level,” he recalled with a smile. “It may have been a little overkill, but it sure was a lot of fun.” Now more than ever, I am grateful to have my beautiful wife, daughter, sister, and mother with me during a holiday that is extraordinarily bittersweet for all of us. This year has carried its share of loss. Both my sister and I lost our longtime dogs—treasured “grand-puppies” to my father. Now that he has joined them in the afterlife, I find myself holding even tighter to everything he loved about Christmas. Just as our tree was always overflowing with gifts, so too was the abundance of our holiday table. My mother would make her famous twice-baked potatoes, and my father would be outside grilling his legendary steaks. A Christmas Carol has long been a favorite story in our family, and Dad would inevitably come in from the bitter cold—where he’d been tending the grill—announcing that he was presenting us with our “annual Christmas goose.” It was the best meal of the year, every year. After dinner, we would settle in to watch one of the many film versions of Dickens’ classic. My father could quote the story flawlessly, delivering lines in his rich, commanding voice that never failed to make us laugh. When it came to gifts, my father was always practical and generous. Once I received my first handicapped van in 2006, he would have certificates made up entitling me to one free tank of gas, a town tag, an oil change, or a month of car insurance paid. Before that, he made sure I never ran out of printer ink or supplies for my writing. Buying gifts for him, however, was always more of a challenge. For many years, Dad worked out of town as the chief of police in Vinton, staying in an apartment during the week and coming home only on weekends. As a result, he appreciated gifts that spared him grocery shopping—large boxes of assorted oatmeal or an array of hot sauces, the hotter the better. In his retirement years, he especially enjoyed receiving a bottle of New River Red wine from West Wind Winery here in Wythe County, which I happily sent home with him to Myrtle Beach each Christmas. This past year, his friend, former Sheriff Charles Foster, narrated a documentary film I produced based on the book I published nine years ago about my father’s law enforcement career. I hope to have the film fully polished and ready for public viewing within the next year, but I am deeply grateful that my father was able to see it first, and approve of it, just as he did with the book in 2016. Herb Cooley: The Law Enforcement Legacy of My Father means more to me than anything I have ever accomplished, especially now that I no longer have him to share stories with or make new memories. As we look toward the future, I am thankful for the traditions I’ve started with my own family. Dickens’ timeless story remains central to our Christmas rituals. Each year, I read A Christmas Carol aloud to my wife and daughter, and we always try to attend a live performance or find a new interpretation of the tale. Although we were unsuccessful this year, we have cherished many trips to see the production at Barter Theatre with my mother. At home, we watch nearly every film version available, my obsession beginning, of course, with Disney’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol. This year, we are also deeply missing our dog Sophie, whom we had to put down in March at the age of 14. We used to take her to the free Christmas light display at Felts Park, presented by High Country Lights. This year, we simply couldn’t bring ourselves to go. It’s my father’s hometown, and it was a place filled with memories of both Dad and Sophie. I remember taking Mom and Dad there once. Dad was delighted and told everyone how wonderful it was. Seeing his joy made me incredibly happy. Sophie’s absence also made our annual family portrait feel incomplete, and for the first time, our Christmas cards were too painful to send. As a very close family of three, Emily, Bella, and I are still finding our footing without Pop and Sophie. We are doing our best to cling to one another, fully aware now that life is finite and time is far more precious than we ever truly understand. Christmas, like every other day, will never be the same without my father. But we will always treasure the memories of him as the heart of our family, especially during the holidays. We will never forget.

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