William Hollis Cooner, MD*
Dr. William Hollis Cooner was one of the most widely acclaimed and highly honored urologists of the twentieth century. Dr. Cooner, the son of a judge and the grandson of a country physician, was born in Jasper, Alabama. After receiving his medical degree from University of Alabama in 1951, Dr. Cooner pursued his residency in urology at the University of Pennsylvania. He then spent nearly a decade of service as Chief of Urology at various Air Force hospitals. As the founder of the Mobile Urology Group in 1965, Dr. Cooner was quick to put into effective use the life saving potential of new technologies for the early detection of prostate cancer. Dr. Cooner’s work and expertise received international attention, and he made scores of presentations and lectures throughout Europe, Canada, Japan, the United States, and Australia.
In 1978, Dr. Cooner served as president of the American Association of Clinical Urologists. He was later honored by receiving the Distinguished Contribution Award and the Presidential Citation Award of the American Urologic Association. In 1992, two years prior to his death in Mobile, Dr. Cooner was presented the University of Alabama Distinguished Alumnus Award.