Memorial Services hosted by Criminal Justice Students for, The Honorable Dr. Andria Cooper, age 44, of Wayne, District Judge and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Wayne State College, will be held at Wayne State College, Peterson Fine Arts Building, Ramsey Theater, February 18th, Sunday 1:00 p.m.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home of Wayne, Neb.
Memorial Visitation will be held at the Ramsey Theater February 18th, Sunday from 12 noon until time of services.
Andria Leigh Cooper was born November 27, 1973, in Alamosa, CO to Larry and Sandra (Wood) McNames. She graduated from Beatty High School in Nevada, receiving her undergraduate studies from Fort Hays State University and graduated law school from Kansas University in Lawrence, KS. Andria and John were married July 30, 1999, in Colby, KS.
Dr. Andria Cooper is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Wayne State College. Before teaching at WSC, she sat as a New Mexico state level district court judge after serving as an attorney, primarily in the area of criminal law. She has served as a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney, and also has experience in the areas of civil rights, constitutional law, victim advocacy, and general areas of legal practice. She has trained law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals in the areas of arrest, search and seizure, report writing, warrant preparation, juvenile justice, fraud investigation and prevention, domestic violence investigation, and victim advocacy. She also sat on a governor’s domestic violence fatality review board. Dr. Cooper is involved in many activities. She is the advisor of Delta Upsilon, a chapter of the National American Criminal Justice Association, which participates in regional and national competitions on criminal justice knowledge, agility, firearms, and crime scene competitions. She also creates mock crime scenes and mock trials for classes, which allows students to present cases at trial, testify as witnesses, listen to the case as jurors, or assume other criminal justice roles in the courtroom. Dr. Cooper is a member of the American Criminal Justice Association, Justice Clearinghouse, and Pi Gamma Mu (a social sciences honor society). She is also a consultant on Faculty Row, and is involved in several committees on campus and the Wayne community as well. Dr. Cooper has been honored as an Outstanding Professor (2005) and Outstanding Advisor (2005), as well as received a Faculty Appreciation Award from Sigma Chi (2007). She has received service awards from the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (2004) and the Northwest Kansas Family Shelter (2003). Dr. Cooper earned her Juris Doctorate degree in 2000 from the University of Kansas School of Law and her B.A. from Fort Hays State University.
Dr. Cooper’s teaching interests include criminal law and procedure, criminal evidence, report writing and trial techniques for criminal justice professionals, civil liability in criminal justice, comparative justice systems, and all legal aspects of other criminal justice disciplines.
Her research interests include civil rights, especially privacy advocacy, search and seizure, and the 2nd Amendment. She also enjoys scholarly work in constitutional issues involving federalism and separation of powers.
Andria’s family includes, her husband, John; their daughters, Devon Cooper of Clayton, NM and Skylar Cooper of Wayne; parents, Larry and Sandy (Wood) McNames of Palco, Kansas; brothers, Ryan McNames of Palco, KS and Neal McNames of Palco, KS; grandmother, Veda Wood of Oberlin, KS; parents-in-law, C.W. and Pat Hamilton of Levant, KS and Galen Cooper of Goodland, KS; brother-in-law, Trey Hamilton of Hays, KS; grandmother-in-law, Margaret Chick of Colby, KS; nieces and nephews.
Andria was preceded in death by a grandmother, and her grandfathers.
Andria’s family appreciates your thoughts and kindness.
Memorials May be directed to the Cooper Family for later designation.
She passed away Monday, February 5th, at Providence Medical Center in Wayne.
