Three generations of the Cooley family.
Craig and June Cooley's story together began in 1970 in San Francisco, where they first met and began dating. June was from San Francisco and Craig's family laid down roots five generations ago in the Northwest's Willamette Valley. The couple chose Oregon as the place where they would raise children and establish their careers.
Craig pursued a career in the real estate profession as agent and broker. He was Stan Wiley's #1 sales person and was named Washington County Realtor of the Year twice. He started Craig Cooley Company Realtors in 1978 with a 30 person sales team. Craig sold Craig Cooley and Company and finished his real estate sales career with Prudential NW and now manages Cooley Investments.
June began her career in the packaging industry selling retail paper packaging in 1973 for Zellerbach Paper Company and was Zellerbach's first woman outside sales representative. June went on to co-found her first company, Bonita Packaging. June sold her interest in Bonita to start another business, Mack Cooley Marketing, with her business partner Anna Mack. They created bags, boxes, and gift wrap, bringing Passport Gift Wrap and Kolor Kollars to the marketplace. At their new company, they also developed specialty packaging for a little company at the time, called Amazon.
The Cooleys raised their sons, Aaron '94 and Chad '96, in the Portland area. Aaron was an actor from the age of three. He hosted his own TV show, Popcorn, a weekly series featuring a panel of pre-teens addressing topics of relevance to children. Since Aaron wanted to pursue acting, he knew that Jesuit would be a great fit and he became great friends with Jeff Hall, Jesuit's Drama Director.
"Aaron's class is a tight knit group," says June. "Aaron bonded with the guys from his class and they still meet regularly, coming from all over the U.S." June attributes Aaron's enduring friendships with his Jesuit classmates to the school's close-knit community. "The retreats, especially the junior Encounter, were instrumental in Aaron's life and created an environment where he and his friends could develop deep, interpersonal relationships."
After graduating from Jesuit, Aaron studied at Yale. He soon realized that he enjoyed writing more than acting and pursued a career as a screenwriter and author. Aaron currently is Head of Development and Associate Producer for Joel Schumacher, film director, screenwriter and producer. Aaron just completed writing a TV series for Netflix, and has written Shaken, Not Stirred, Guns of Ridgewood, and Four Seats.
Chad, the Cooley's youngest son, chose Jesuit because "Chad wanted an environment where there were like-minded students" says Craig. "He developed a passion for running cross-country and track. To this day, Chad keeps in touch with Coach "Roth," Tom Rothenberger.
Chad graduated from Colgate University with a degree in political science. He decided to pursue a career in commercial real estate and is now a principal at AWH Partners—which owns Spire Hospitality, a top-tier national hospitality platform, and AWH Partners. Included in Chad's holdings is the Washington Square Embassy Suites.
In 2002, Chad offered to speak with Jesuit students about the impact of 9/11. A year prior, he narrowly escaped the second World Trade Center Tower with his life. The students were captivated by his presentation. In 2011, a month after the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attack, Chad spoke at Jesuit's Financial Aid Luncheon, sharing his terrifying account of helping others out of the South Tower as the building was crumbling around them. Chad attributed his desire to help those in need that dreadful day and his sheer will to find a way out of the building to his Jesuit education and Coach Roth. "Coach Roth would tell the students to just keep putting one foot in front of the other as they grew weary running a race or participating in a meet," stated June. "Perseverance is the key to success."
The Cooleys thank God every day for the health and safety of their two sons and their families. They credit Jesuit High School with helping to develop their sons spiritually, academically, and athletically. Jesuit High School has provided a foundation of support for Craig and June over the years. When faced with medical challenges in their lives, their faith and the Jesuit community provided necessary comfort and reassurance. Craig converted to Catholicism in 1978 and deeply believes in Ignatian pedagogy and philosophy. Craig and June believe in giving back to Jesuit and their community. Craig served on the Jesuit Parent Board while his sons attended Jesuit. He also volunteers his time every year as a presenter for the JHS Career Day. June was a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) NW Board of Directors for six years, chairing the organization for two years. "Social justice and service for others is important to our family," states Craig. "Jesuit emphasizes giving back. Prior to our affiliation with Jesuit 25 years ago, we weren't hearing much about that concept from our children's schools."
Several years ago, Craig and June Cooley became Legacy Club members by making a planned gift that will benefit Jesuit in the future. "We are Legacy Club members because we want to make a difference in the lives of many families," says June. "Helping to ensure that a Jesuit education is available for years to come is one of the best legacies we can think of."
If you want to help Jesuit like the Cooleys and have a significant impact on our Jesuit High School community, please contact Diane Salzman at 503-291-5497 or development@jesuitportland.org.