Here’s what a few of our donors and fans have shared about PENNY’s importance in your lives:

• It's not every day that we get a chance to give something back to people like Penny. She's been behind me every step of the way since my spinal cord injury in 1998. When I decided to go to law school, Penny was among the dissenting voices who encouraged me to pursue a very difficult path to independence. Josh

• Penny has been a great friend to Seth especially mentoring him during his Boalt law school days. Seth’s dad Steve

• I not only ADORE Penny, I owe everything to her as I am one of the women criminal defense lawyers whose trail she blazed. Nanci

• What I adore is PENNY’s adroit advocacy through my periodic adult/juvenile delinquent incidents. She staunchly believes that anyone who would prosecute me, simply didn’t get the joke. Marcia

Add your Penny story or comment.

Penny and I have been friends for the last 65 years. I am honored to know and love her. She indeed deserves all the honors and awards for being a top criminal lawyer as well as a marvelous human being. -Noreen

We loved the movie. I thought the whole way conceptual art and specifically her collection of women artists gave the film universal depth. - Hilary Goldstine

Carla and I are so thrilled for Penny and you... we looked at the "trailer", it's fabulous...can't wait to see the whole thing!!

Best, Judi

I am not only a fan of the marvelous Ms. Cooper, but I'm also one of the many who has benefitted from her generosity. I've had the honor of writing several of my projects in her (and Rena's) homes, thanks to her giant good nature. She literaly rescued me during more than one crisis. I am living proof of her essential kindness. All done with her great sense of humor, of course! This is just to say that I will definitely be promoting your project. -Jane

Nobody is more deserving of a documentary than the mensch and phenom we all know as Penny Cooper! For the record, I've been a card carrying Penny Cooper fan since I met her in 1966. -One of Penny's Multitudinous Fans, Marcia

Penny is a remarkable and accomplished woman, and one of the most generous people I know. I am proud and happy to be counted among her friends.

As you certainly know, we met Penny as a result of her participation on the Board of the Berkeley Art Museum and Film Archives. Penny was always an ardent supporter, and has become a very dear friend. She has so many friends because of her bright and curious mind, her great sense of humor, her enthusiasm, her thoughtfulness and her extrordinary generosity.

I experienced a special bit of her generosity and kindness when my husband had kidney transplant surgery in 2010. She wanted to know exactly when the surgery was and insisted on sitting with me in the waiting room. We don’t have any family in the Bay Area, but I told her I would be fine by myself. She told me she had another friend who had gotten bad news when waiting alone for a loved one in surgery and she didn’t want me to be alone, on the off chance than something happened. All went well and she was thrilled to know my husband was fine, but she sat with me for hours while we waited for news.

I suspect there are thousands of similar stories of her acts of kindness that you could uncover if you asked enough people.
Susan

Watch the trailer--it's a good documentary by a good local filmmaker. Of course, donate!
Linda MacDonald

Hi Friends...Please help support my MIL who is an amazing artist and documentary maker on her first indie project! Much appreciated.
Lauren Kolodisner Schnayerson

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for your message. I was so glad when I saw your email. It's not every day that we get a chance to give something back to people like Penny. She's been behind me every step of the way since my spinal cord injury in 1998. When I decided to go to law school, Penny was among the dissenting voices who encouraged me to pursue a very difficult path to independence.

Josh

Penny’s sense of humor is legendary. What I adore about her adroit advocacy through my periodic adult/juvenile delinquent incidents, is that she staunchly believes that anyone who would prosecute me, simply didn’t get the joke.
Her toast to me at my 50th birthday celebration was that I am “fabulous, fifty and free”. That ebullient pre hypnotic suggestion has mostly kept me out of trouble as I approach age 69.
Two of Your Multitudinous Card Carrying Fans,
Marcia and Nyla

Elizabeth,

I have sent the announcement of your film to everyone I know. Penny was a huge inspirational character for me--one of the few women criminal trial lawyers when i started practicing in the 70s. Of course no one else could ever hope to be like Penny, but she did inspire me and so many of us to realize that we could be ourselves! and still be effective criminal defense lawyers.

with great admiration,
Susan

We LOVE Penny. We are her current neighbors and have three young daughters who Penny is a wonderful role model for through her amazing accomplishments AND simply being a kind and caring person. I am so glad to hear that this film is being made and that Penny's story can be shared so widely. Ann Rojas-Cheatham

What People Are Saying About Penny

Add your Penny story or comment.