Harris Lee Cooperman
Harris Lee Cooperman, age 88, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, died Friday, May 13, 2016 at Crosslands Community in Kennett Square, PA. He was the husband of Esther Leeds Cooperman, with whom he shared nearly 60 years of marriage. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Daniel and Rebecca (Fidler) Cooperman.
After graduating from Philadelphia’s Central High School, Mr. Cooperman earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 1949, where he rowed with the varsity crew team for three years. After being drafted during the Korean War, he was trained as an instructor in the operation and maintenance of tactical artillery, and selected to teach at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he first had the opportunity to work in a well-equipped machine shop. Mr. Cooperman returned to Philadelphia after the war, joining the firm of Max Levy and Company, a manufacturer of half-tone screens and etched plates for the graphic arts industry. After responding to a request from RCA to design a specialized camera that could reduce full-size circuitry plans for miniaturization, he founded HLC Manufacturing in 1964, a business focused on the production of reduction cameras, and on related precision instruments. He held a number of patents relating to his work. After selling his business to Kidde Industries, he later became a vice president in the corporate finance department of the First National Bank of Maryland in Baltimore.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Cooperman is survived by his three children and their spouses: Emily T. Cooperman of Philadelphia, Morris L. Cooperman of Haddon Township, New Jersey, and Hannah B. C. Bray of Parkville, Maryland; a granddaughter, Claire T. Bray; and five step grandchildren: Katharine S. Thomas, and Elise, Michael, Bernadette, and Becky Trendler.
A memorial gathering will be held in the William Penn Room of Crosslands in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. on June 4th. Interment will be held privately. Contributions in his memory may be made to Philabundance.
Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444- 4116) of Kennett Square. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit
