Dr. Waverly Cole ’50 passed away on Aug. 28, 2009, before he could learn that he had been awarded the Alumni Medallion. In his life, he made a tremendous impact on his world: through his volunteerism, his philanthropy and his commitment to giving back to the places he had come from.
“Waverly started [giving] before he was 40 years old,” says Dr. John Cook, Cole’s partner of 50 years. “He planned to give to the world and he never stopped.”
- Watch the tribute video created for Dr. Waverly M. Cole ’50 below
At the College, Cole was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and member of the chorus, biology club and pre-med club — on that final involvement, he did not disappoint.
After graduating from William and Mary at the age of 20, Cole earned his M.D. at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in Richmond. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Germany in 1955-56 and then pursued his specialty of anesthesiology at MCV. He was a practicing physician by age 24.
By 1960, Cole was back in the Richmond area, where he served as founder and chairman of the anesthesiology department at St. Mary’s Hospital and as past president and secretary/treasurer for both the Richmond and Virginia societies of anesthesiologists. He remained a prominent anesthesiologist until his retirement in 1999. His philanthropy was formed by his medical philosophy of helping patients as much and as fully as possible.
“His whole life was spent giving: he was one of the most generous people you’d ever meet,” says Cook. “He never saw a cause that he didn’t fund. That was a great joy for him: he thought money should be used to help other people.”
“If you look at where he directed his money, there’s a pattern in the things he thought were valuable,” says longtime friend Jackie Jones Myers ’52. “He valued education and medicine — and his friendships.”
A native of Blackstone, Va., Cole helped establish the Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences at Longwood University, benefited a number of churches around Southside Virginia and worked closely with SPCA animal shelters in Richmond and near Blackstone, where the new Southside shelter was named for Cole’s and Cook’s dog April. The two men met dignitaries of all sorts in their travels, including Margaret Thatcher, William Rehnquist, Kofi Annan and John F. Kennedy.
In his gifts to Longwood, Cole honored his mother, who had attended school there.
“It’s just his background — he’s a good Southern boy. He adored his mother,” says Myers. “He just came from good people. He was always smiling and always seemed to be in a good humor.”
His love for the arts also inspired Cole to contribute some of his collections of glass, porcelain and pottery to the Cole Gallery at Longwood University. He also served as honorary chair on saving the president’s house at the old Blackstone College, working closely with Bill Armbruster ’57.
“He has given generously of his time, talent and fortune to many worthy causes, but William and Mary particularly so,” said Armbruster in his nomination. “His professional, community involvement and philanthropic endeavors will leave a legacy few of us can match.”
Closest to Cole’s heart, indeed, was the College. He received a Certificate of Recognition from President Timothy J. Sullivan ’66 at the Tercentenary Homecoming Celebration in 1993, citing his “dedication and commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“He came to the College at 16 and graduated at 20,” says Cook. “He never stopped loving William and Mary.”
His legacy at the College includes his membership in the Sir Robert Boyle Legacy and James Blair societies and Chancellor’s Circle as well as establishment of the Cole International Studies Scholarship and Cole Charitable Remainder Unitrust. He was also one of the charter members involved with starting the Southside Virginia alumni chapter in 1952. In many ways, however, the beautiful flowers at the Alumni House known as the Cole Gardens stand as symbols of his commitment to his alma mater and the things that mattered most to him.
“His life was very full and very well-lived,” says Cook. “It was most unusual that someone would live to be 80 years old and achieve so much in just 80 years. He will be remembered for a lifetime of accomplishments, giving, love and inspiration.”
Photo courtesy of Longwood University
2010 Alumni Medallions
Waverly M. Cole ’50 | W. Samuel Sadler ’64, M.Ed. ’71
Nicholas St. George ’60, J.D. ’65 | Earl L. Young ’59
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