OUR LATEST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT 12/5/2025
Our latest scholarship recipient, Joan Cianciolo at the Sconce with Lindy. December 5, 2025
Excerpts from the Writings of Jeff Cooper – November 2025
Firepower
In studying into the background material for the forthcoming Babamkulu Enterprise in Africa next year, I have gone rather deeply into the two startling British reverses in 1881 at Laing’s Nek and Majuba Hill. (We plan to visit the sites next May.) These two incidents took place on adjoining terrain within three days of each other and point to lessons which should have been learned a century ago, but still have not got across to many people who should know about them.
Consider the “butcher’s bill.” At Laing’s Nek the British attacked a Boer defensive position at a crest of a saddle (nek is what we would call a saddle in the American West) with about 450 men, following a small but violent artillery preparation. They were repulsed with a loss of 150 dead – against 14 for the Boers. On the occasion immediately following, the British seized Majuba Hill by means of a night march involving something over 500 soldiers. In the morning, they were thrown off the hill by a Boer force of about the same size. In this action the British lost 280 dead, including their commanding general. The Boers lost one man, plus another who died some days later of his wounds.
OUR LATEST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT 10/31/2025
10/31/2025
Scholarship recipients Tawny Basso and Jan Martin with Lindy at the Sconce.
Halter Center Shooting Facility
Our Foundation has a dedicated bench at the Halter Center shooting facility – part of Hillsdale College in Michigan.
Board members Rish Alcaro, Il Ling New and Lindy Wisdom checked it out on a recent visit
Excerpts from the Writings of Jeff Cooper – October 2025
`Tis the season to be jolly, so let us make every effort – despite the disgusting situations we have got ourselves into. People get the government they deserve, and we Americans voted in the current administration back in November of last year. We hope we are satisfied.
However, it does no good to complain. The place to do our complaining is at the polls. At home now and among friends, we should all strive to develop the maximum amount of good cheer in the places where it will do the most good.
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing!”
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.1 No.10 December 1993
Our recent comments about various battlegrounds in Southern Africa have been widely misunderstood, which is, of course, my fault in that I did not make the matter clear. Marksmanship had little or nothing to do with the outcome of the actions at Isandhlwana or Rorke’s Drift, and the astounding victory of the Boers at Blood River was not a matter of marksmanship, but rather one of gun handling and fire discipline. The places where marksmanship was indeed the issue were the parallel battles of Laing’s Nek and Majuba Hill. In those actions the farmers hit what they shot at, …
Growing up Cooper – Part 2
Growing Up Cooper – Part 2
Along with the questions I am so often asked about my father, I can share with anyone who may be interested some aspects of his character that are not part of the normal dialogue regarding Jeff Cooper.
1. He was a good singer.
Dad could not only carry a tune without accompaniment, he could harmonize at will. He had a good ear for music and a very nice baritone singing voice. As a family of five, we learned two pieces that we sang often. One was the Orchestra Song, where Dad was the tympani. Mom started it off as the violin. Christy and Parry were the clarinet and the trumpet and I was the horn———–only one note since I was the youngest and that was the easiest part to handle. Dad joined last as the tympani and we ended in a lovely five-part harmonic note. Such fun.
The second piece we sang as a family was Hark, How the Bells (Carol of the Bells) at Christmastime. I remember learning this together in the upstairs office portion of the local Catholic church in Big Bear. I do not know how that came about, but I enjoyed singing it immensely and the last sustained note was the lowest of the entire song, held by Dad. Lovely.
OUR LATEST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT 9/19/2025
Our latest scholarship recipients at Gunsite. Clayton Weyenberg, left, and T.J. Barrett with Lindy at the Sconce. September 19, 2025.