Bill Kooker - The last General Manager of Riverview Amusement Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

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Bill's family was associated with Riverview Park in Des Moines since it's inception and beginning in the early 1900's all the way through to the closing of the park in 1979.

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His grandfather, W. E. Kooker (deceased) was one of the founding fathers and owners.  His uncle, Robert Reichardt (deceased), followed by his father, Bart Kooker (deceased), and finally, Bill Kooker himself, all managed the daily operations of the facility for a period spanning the last 50 years of its existence, providing family fun, childhood dreams and lasting memories for thousands of people.  His brother, Steve Kooker, was also involved in the operations of the park.

All of the aforementioned have provided either in the past or present, information that aided in recollecting and creating his presentations.

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Bill is also the author of the book, Riverview Park, The Lost Summers and the web master of the web site, Fading Memories of Riverview Park.

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He is truly one of the few people still with us that have the actual stories and all the facts about the defunct  amusement park that existed in Des Moines and became an Iowa institution.