TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa native Paul W. Cooper, an award-winner screenwriter, has died.

Cooper died on Sept. 27 after battling COVID-19. He was 74.

Cooper graduated from the University of Tulsa and then served in the Air Force. Cooper began writing as a hobby while he was stationed in Vietnam during the war. When he returned, Cooper grabbed the attention of Earl Hammer, the creator of “The Waltons.” Hammer encouraged Cooper to give screenwriting a try.

Over the next 40 years, Cooper wrote episodes for many television shows, including “Little House on the Prairie” and “Murder She Wrote.”

Cooper won three Emmy Awards, a Writers Guild Award, the Humanitas Prize, and the Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays.

Cooper moved back to Tulsa in 2016 with his wife, Donna. Cooper said, “it is time to give back to the community that started me in a good direction, both as a writer and a caring human being.”

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