The late W K (Kevin) Cahill (1921 – 2013) was Mrs Cooper’s long-time solicitor and confidant. When Mrs Cooper was hospitalised in the late 1970s he became more involved in the day-to-day management of Mrs Cooper’s affairs which brought about the close working relationship between Kevin and Al Rosenstrauss.
Kevin was a natural choice to be the Foundation’s inaugural Chairman and for 24 years performed that task with diligence and dignity and his calm leadership helped shape the Foundation into what it is now.
Kevin was a co-executor of Mrs Cooper’s estate and also had to deal with the affairs of Harry Cooper, who had died intestate or without a will. The scale of the Coopers’ property holdings, the fact that not all of them were registered in their own names, issues with protected tenancies and the difficulties of proving title to properties held under old system of title ownership presented Kevin with many legal challenges.
Advancing years and failing health forced Kevin to resign first as Chairman and then later from the Board of the Foundation. Kevin died on 19 January 2013. His contribution to the work of the Foundation has been invaluable and continues to be honoured with our annual vision sciences award being named after him. He requested that the award in his name should go to the highest ranked application in the Visual Sciences field, as deteriorating eyesight had afflicted Kevin for some time.