The First COPE Tower

COPE today is full fledged program. It was made possible by the financial contributions of Billy Walker and the efforts of quite a few people, including Lance Ussery, Al Hendrickson, John Hickman, and Bill Freeman.

But before the Al Hendrickson Tower was built (the big one that stands today), rappelling was done on a much smaller tower. Lance Ussery describes this original tower as “Maybe 40 feet to the top. It may have been a 35 foot wall.” Open on three sides with only one climbing wall, the original tower operated throughout the 1980s.

Seen here is the original rappelling tower, located in the grassy area down from the compound before the Beany Elam Parking area. The tower is gone now, but if you look, you can find the stumps of the telephones that made up the corners. This image is from the 1984 Leaders’ Guide, the year after COPE became a full fledged program and not just a rappelling activity.

Collection of Russ Parham