Three Cooper High School alumni were inducted into the Cooper Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday, Sept. 19, in the Cooper Auditorium. The 2025 class of honorees included musician Steve Linder, basketball standout Andrae Patterson, and retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former Cooper AFJROTC instructor Col. Steve Shinkle. George Levesque, executive director of the Paramount Theatre, moderated a Q&A with the inductees during the program. With their induction, the Cooper Hall of Fame grew to 97 members since its founding in 1993.
Read more about each inductee below, and see more pictures from the ceremony in our photo album here.
Steve Linder
The 95th inductee into the Cooper Hall-of-Fame is Mr. Steve Linder. His musical journey began early, influenced by his family's diverse tastes. Steve pursued percussion throughout his education in Abilene, attending Austin Elementary, Madison Jr. High, and Cooper High School (where he was in Band and Choir from 1977-1980), culminating in a bachelor of arts in percussion performance from Hardin-Simmons University. His musical skills have since expanded to include writing, arranging, recording, and proficiency in keyboards, trumpet, guitar, bass, and harmonica.
While adept in many instruments, Steve is most recognized for his vocal abilities. His extensive musicality and expertise in producing elaborate, Broadway-style song and dance productions have led to over 40 years of touring across the United States. In 2016, his creation, 'Vocal Trash,' was selected by the U.S. Department of State to present educational music initiatives and leadership symposiums, touring Asia, Europe, Africa, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East. Domestically, his travels have placed him and cast members, in all 50 states at venues such as Disney World Florida, Six Flags, Dollywood, Lexor Hotel and Casino, and 100’s of venues including 30+ years at The State Fair Of Texas. His groups have been featured on The Hallmark Channel, Fox News, and various Dallas/Ft. Worth Morning shows. Steve is also an award-winning songwriter (The Nashville Network), has co-written a successful children's book, and has produced over 30 albums, with a new collection of original songs anticipated in 2026.
At 63, Steve has reduced his touring schedule to enjoy personal endeavors, including time with the love of his life, Martha, and their Aussi-doodles.
Andrae Patterson
The 96th inductee into the Cooper Hall-of-Fame is one of the most decorated athletes to walk the halls of Cooper, Mr. Andrae Patterson. Named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Texas in 1994, Andrae was a first team Parade All-American, a first team McDonald’s All-American, and was one of five finalists for National Player-of-the-Year. He is the leading scorer in Cooper history with 3,217 points, the leading rebounder in Cooper history with 1,560 rebounds, and led Cooper to two District 4-5A championships, and in 1994, the program’s first appearance in the Region I-5A tournament, all while being named first team all-state and the Class 5A Player-of-the-Year.
Upon his graduation from Cooper, Andrae played four seasons for Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight at Indiana, earning a degree in criminal justice. After finishing at Indiana, Andrae played two seasons in the NBA after being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the 46th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He would go on to play internationally for nine seasons, including five in Liga ACB in Spain. He joined the Portland Trail Blazers as an Assistant General Manager in 2022, after serving as Senior Director of Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers for five years and the Utah Jazz as the Player Personnel/ Programs Coordinator from 2015-2017.
A member of the Big Country Sports Hall of Fame, Andrae currently lives with his wife Kiana along with their children in the Portland area.
Col. Steve Shinkle, USAF (Ret.)
The 97th inductee into the Cooper Hall-of-Fame is Colonel Steve Shinkle, USAF (Ret.), who served both the United States Air Force (USAF) and the students of Cooper High School with distinction. After 32 years of distinguished service in the USAF, he retired as a Colonel in 2009.
Following military service, Colonel Shinkle began a new career as the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFJROTC) Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Cooper High School. While on active duty, Col. Shinkle was directly responsible for ensuring airmen were ready to do their jobs on weapons system platforms like Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, UH-1 helicopters and the lethal B-1 and B-52 bombers, ensuring they were combat ready. Those demanding and critical responsibilities directly supported the Global War against Terrorism and the National Security objectives of the United States. For this work, Colonel Shinkle earned the prestigious Legion of Merit Medal, our nation’s seventh- highest medal.
Upon retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Shinkle accepted a new challenge joining Cooper High School as the AFJROTC Senior Instructor and Department Chair. From 2009 to 2020, his cadets were recognized by the Headquarters compliance inspector for their outstanding performance earning them the highest rating possible, the Distinguished Unit award for an impressive 12 years in a row. Colonel Shinkle was selected by his principal and peers as the Cooper High School Teacher of the Year in 2013.
He has been married to his wife Caela for 30 years, and they are “Honey and Pops” to their four grandchildren. They are active members of Holy Family Catholic Church, and their shared passions include travel, playing golf, cycling and dancing.