COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, 
VETERANS AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION 
 
03/20/2024/REPORTED OUT TO THE FLOOR 
02/27/2024-REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY 
 
BILL NO. 35-0107 
 
Thirty-Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands 
 
 
 
July 18, 2023 
 
 
 
An Act posthumously honoring and commending Dr. Fenella Cooper for her contributions to 
the fields of education, sports and culture, and naming the UVI tennis courts in her honor 
 
 
 
PROPOSED BY: 
Senator Marvin A. Blyden 
 
 
WHEREAS, Dr. Fenella Anita Cooper was born on April 6, 1950, to Maron Jones 
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Stanley Bratts and Norman Stanley Bratts in the village of Molineaux, on the island of St. Kitts, 
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where she attended Molineaux Elementary School; and 
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WHEREAS, when she was seventeen, Fenella’s family relocated to New York, NY, 
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where she attended Taft High School and then Bronx Community College; and 
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WHEREAS, Fenella married Vincent Cooper on March 20, 1975.  Their union produced 
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two daughters: Maunda and Dara, and eight grandchildren: D’Ajahni, Sonayah, Majestik, Jael, 
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Bilal, Nailah, Adanya, and Caleb; and 
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WHEREAS, Fenella and Vincent moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in 1977, where 
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Fenella attended what was then called the College of the Virgin Islands, earning a bachelor’s 
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degree in 1981, and a master’s degree in accounting in 1991; and 
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WHEREAS, Fenella, a lifelong learner, earned a PhD in Business Administration from 
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Argosy University in 2015, at the young age of 65, authorizing her to use the title Doctor; and 
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2 
 
WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper taught in the Virgin Islands public secondary and university 
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school systems for 34 years, from 1980 until her retirement in 2014. During her expansive career 
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she taught at the former Wayne Aspinall Junior High School, the Addelita Cancryn Junior High 
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School, the Charlotte Amalie High School, the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, and the 
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University of the Virgin Islands; and 
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper, was a natural educator whose innovative, progressive and 
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versatile teaching style made learning enjoyable; and 
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper, beloved by her students and colleagues alike, was the co-
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director of the Virgin Islands Writing Project—a pioneering venture that helped teachers to 
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better impart writing skills to young people, and recognize the primary importance of teacher 
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knowledge, expertise, and leadership; and 
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper, a lifelong tennis player, was a member of the Virgin Islands 
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Tennis Association, the United States Tennis Association, and the American Tennis Association 
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for over thirty years; and 
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper was an active and successful tennis player and competitor on 
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local, regional and national levels, having been cited in the V.I. Daily News as the “Coca-Cola 
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Player of the Week” on countless occasions for her local tournament successes; and 
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WHEREAS, for four decades, Dr. Cooper helped to organize and conduct tennis 
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workshops for junior and adult players in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, 
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and elsewhere in the Caribbean and in the mainland United States; and 
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper was the very first coach of the University of the Virgin Islands 
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women’s tennis team; and 
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WHEREAS, as a frequent competitor in the American Tennis Association 
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Championships, she won numerous titles and runner-up trophies, including 2nd place in the 
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3 
 
American Tennis Association 65 & Over Mixed Doubles Championship as recently as 2018; 
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and  
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WHEREAS, Dr. Cooper was recognized for her achievements and contributions to sports 
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in the territory by the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and, for her 
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dedication, leadership, and commitment to the Athletic Program at the University of the Virgin 
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Islands, she was inducted in to the Buccaneers’ Hall of Fame in 2021.; Now, Therefore; 
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Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 
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SECTION 1.  The Legislature of the Virgin Islands, on behalf of the people of the Virgin 
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Islands recognizes, honors and commends Dr. Fenella Anita Cooper posthumously for her 
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contributions to the Virgin Islands community, especially in the areas of education and sports. 
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SECTION 2.  In commemoration of the late Dr. Cooper’s many contributions to the 
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people of the Virgin Islands, the tennis courts on the Orville E. Kean campus of the University 
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of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas are renamed “The Fenella A. Cooper Tennis Complex”. 
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SECTION 3. The University of the Virgin Islands shall cause appropriate and 
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conspicuous signs to be erected at the Tennis Complex bearing the inscription “The Fenella A. 
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Cooper Tennis Complex”. 
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BILL SUMMARY 
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Section 1 honors and commends the late Dr. Fenella Anita Cooper for her contributions 
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to the Virgin Islands community, especially in the areas of education and sports. 
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Section 2 names the tennis courts on the Orville E. Kean campus of the University of the 
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Virgin Islands on St. Thomas “The Fenella A. Cooper Tennis Complex”. 
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Section 3 directs The University of the Virgin Islands to cause appropriate and 
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conspicuous signs to be erected bearing the inscription “The Fenella A. Cooper Tennis 
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Complex.” 
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BR23-0159/June 21, 2023/HLF 
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