STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
PHOTOGRAPHY CRAIG LIGHT
Though the gardens possess an undeniable air of storybook serenity , their design is equally as complex as the career and exploits of their eponymous owner , Roger Cooper . A longtime resident of East Arlington , Cooper ’ s career has encompassed a broad array of scientific , artistic , and professional disciplines . The seemingly divergent aspects of his multifaceted life journey are beautifully expressed in many features of the glorious garden . Cooper designed and built Rogerland with the help of a dedicated team of groundskeepers , artisan craftspeople , and landscape architects . The results are truly remarkable – as is the story of the man who masterminded the sensational sanctuary himself .
The Tale Behind the Topiaries
Much like the origins of the plants , trees , and flowers in his magnificent garden , Roger Cooper ’ s educational , professional , philanthropic , and artistic adventures have spanned the entire globe . Born and raised in Mexico by English parents , Cooper attended traditional English boarding school , and he completed two separate stints of compulsory military service in both England and Mexico . He went on to graduate from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering , and earned two additional Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and physics from United States University in San Diego .
Upon graduating , Cooper began his career as a research chemist at Procter & Gamble in Mexico City . While there , he worked to develop enduring and successful commercial products , such as their bestselling “ Era ” stainfighting detergent . Several years later , Cooper transitioned into the field of international banking . He spent thirteen years working for Citigroup in Mexico , Guatemala , Honduras , and Venezuela in their operations and technology sector . Through a mixture of intellectual acuity and sheer tenacity , Cooper climbed the ranks from his original position as Citigroup ’ s Operations Manager of Mexico City to eventually become the Chief of Staff of Citigroup ’ s Worldwide Technology Group . In 1984 , Cooper moved to New Jersey with his first wife , Sandi Cooper , and their two children , Robin and Alex Cooper . After relocating to Stamford , CT in 1989 , Cooper left Citigroup for a new opportunity at JPMorgan Chase ( then Chase Manhattan Bank ). During his tenure at Chase , Cooper was responsible for all of the foreign exchange , money market derivatives , equity investments , and securities trading for every Northern and Southern American country outside of the United States .
As Roger ’ s career in finance continued to unfold , he and Sandi purchased a house in Vermont in 1989 . “ We had taken a trip to Vermont , and we liked the Manchester area ,” says Cooper . “ It was convenient and relatively close to New York City . It was fun , it had golf courses , skiing , and all of the amenities , especially the tranquility we were looking for .” After purchasing the first house in East Arlington , Cooper eventually bought several surrounding properties , on which the gardens and two houses now stand .
When Sandi and Roger had planted stable roots in southern Vermont , Cooper resumed his studies at SUNY Albany , where he pursued a PhD in linguistic anthropology . “ The program specialized in Mayan hieroglyphic text and codices ,” says Cooper . After Sandi Cooper tragically passed away , Roger Cooper stepped away from the
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