Editing Gordon Cooper (section)

== Early life and education ==
Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. was born on March 6, 1927, in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma]],{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=336}} the only child of Leroy Gordon Cooper Sr. and his wife, Hattie Lee {{nee}} Herd.<ref name=40thmerc7 /> His mother was a school teacher. His father enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War I]], and served on the presidential yacht {{USS|Mayflower|PY-1|6}}. After the war, Cooper&nbsp;Sr. completed his high school education; Hattie Lee was one of his teachers, although she was only two years older than he. He joined the [[Oklahoma National Guard]], flying a [[Curtiss JN-4]] biplane, despite never having formal military pilot training. He graduated from college and law school, and became a [[State court (United States)|state district judge]]. He was called to active duty during [[World War II]], and served in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific theater]] in the [[Judge Advocate General's Corps]].{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|pp=93–94}} He transferred to [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) after it was formed in 1947, and was stationed at [[Hickam Air Force Base]], [[Hawaii Territory]]. Cooper Sr. retired from the USAF with the rank of [[colonel (United States)|colonel]] in 1957.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=337}}

Cooper attended Jefferson Elementary School and Shawnee High School,{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=337}} where he was on the [[American football|football]] and track teams. During his [[Senior (education)|senior]] high school year, he played [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] in the state football championship.{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|p=102}} He was active in the [[Boy Scouts of America]], where he achieved its second highest rank, [[Life Scout]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/scouting_space.aspx |title=Scouting and Space Exploration |publisher=Boy Scouts of America |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032406/http://www.scouting.org/about/factsheets/scouting_space.aspx |archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref> His parents owned a [[Command-Aire 3C3]] [[biplane]], and he learned to fly at a young age. He unofficially soloed when he was 12&nbsp;years old, and earned his [[Pilot certification in the United States|pilot certification]] in a [[Piper J-3 Cub]] when he was 16.{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=337}}{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|pp=94–95}} His family moved to [[Murray, Kentucky]], when his father was called back into service, and he graduated from [[Murray High School (Kentucky)|Murray High School]] in June&nbsp;1945.<ref name=40thmerc7 />

After Cooper learned that the [[United States Army]] and Navy flying schools were not taking any more candidates, he enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps]].{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|p=102}} He left for [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island|Parris Island]] as soon as he graduated from high school,<ref name=40thmerc7 /> but World War&nbsp;II ended before he saw overseas service. He was assigned to the [[Naval Academy Preparatory School]] as an alternate for an appointment to the [[United States Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis, Maryland]], but the primary appointee was accepted, and Cooper was assigned to guard duty in [[Washington, D.C.]] He was serving with the [[Guard of honour#United States|Presidential Honor Guard]] when he was [[Military discharge|discharged]] from the Marine Corps in 1946.{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|p=102}}

Cooper went to Hawaii to live with his parents. He started attending the [[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]], and bought his own J-3 Cub. {{anchor|Trudy}}There he met his first wife, Trudy&nbsp;B. Olson (1927–1994) of [[Seattle]], through the local flying club. She was active in flying, and would later become the only wife of a Mercury astronaut to have a [[Pilot certification in the United States|private pilot certification]]. They were married on August&nbsp;29, 1947, in [[Honolulu]], when both were 20&nbsp;years old. They had two daughters.<ref name=40thmerc7>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/cooper.htm |title=L. Gordon Cooper Jr. |last1=Gray |first1=Tara |work=40th Anniversary of Mercury 7 |publisher=NASA |access-date=July 10, 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Burgess|2011|p=337}}{{sfn|Cooper|Henderson|2000|pp=102–103}}