Dr. Benjamin Theodore Cole

COLUMBIA - Benjamin Theodore "Ted" Cole, 90, died Wednesday, December, 28, 2011. Born May 24, 1921 in New Brunswick, N.J., he was the son of the late Fred Cole and Grace King Trimmer Cole. The family moved to Milltown, N.J., three miles from New Brunswick, where Ted lived through his teenage years.
Ted graduated from the New York State Ranger School, in Wanakena, N.Y. in 1941 and began a career in Forestry as Compassman and Timber Cruiser with the Southern Kraft Paper Co. (subsequently known as the International Paper Company). He met and married his beloved wife of 68 years, Ms. Leona Todd of Allsbrook, S.C. They were married on May 30, 1943.
Ted enlisted in the US Air Corps in September 1942 and served Stateside and Overseas in the Philippine Islands during WWII. He was discharged as a S/Sgt from the USAF in February 1946.
He attended Duke University in the fall of 1946, completing his BS in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry in 1949. Ted entered the MS Program and was awarded the Masters Degree in Zoology with a minor in History in 1951. He completed his Ph.D. work in the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Duke University, in 1954.
Ted taught at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from 1954 until 1959 when he accepted a one-year research appointment as Senior Investigator in the Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Atomic Energy Commission, Oak Ridge, TN.
Dr. Cole accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Biology, University of SC, in the fall of 1960. He taught Physiology for Nurses through 1995. He also taught Comparative Physiology and Mammalian Physiology to pre-Medical and Graduate students from 1960-1987.
Dr. Cole was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 1963 and served as Head of the Biology Department from 1964-1973. As Head of the Department, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Baruch Institute and the Marine Science program at USC. He implemented a visiting Scientist Program, resulting in the appearance on campus of internationally recognized Scientists.
He was a Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, has been listed in Who's Who in America since 1965 and was a recipient of several Certificates of Appreciation. Dr. Cole authored 26 publications in various scientific journals, 13 seminars and presentations and substantial Research Grant activity. He served as a Major Advisor for 24 MS graduates and 12 Ph.D. graduates in Biology at USC. He retired from USC as Distinguished Professor of Biology in 1987.
Faith in a resurrected Lord has played an important role in Dr. Cole's life. He served as a Sunday School Teacher and Deacon in various Southern Baptist Churches over a period of 50 years. He taught Young People and Adult classes in North Trenholm Baptist Church beginning in 1960. He also served that congregation as a Deacon, Chairman of the Deacon Fellowship, Church Moderator and on various Church committees. He and Mrs. Cole served in the Christian Service Corps, Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, in Hong Kong from 1976-77, where Ted taught at the Hong Kong Baptist College. Dr. Cole served as a short term missionary in Kenya, East Africa in 1993 and again in 1996. He served in similar capacities in the Ukraine in 1995 and in Romania in 1998. He also served as a short term missionary with the Home Mission Board, SBC, in West Virginia in 1987. He and Leona served at the Adirondack Resort Ministries, N.Y. in 1981 and in Waverly, N.Y. in 1983. He has been an active member of Gideons International since 1996. Ted has participated as a Volunteer in the Providence Hospital since 1997 and has taught in the "Shepherd's Center" at North Trenholm Baptist Church on several occasions.
Survivors include his devoted and beloved wife of 68 years, Leona; a daughter, Rebecca Joyce Cole of Columbia; a son, Timothy T. Cole and his wife, Lein Cole; and step-granddaughter, Hami Vo, all of Atlanta, GA. He has a sister, Virginia, living in Princeton, N.J. He was predeceased by a sister, Blanche Georgiana Cole Baxter.
Services will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, December 31, 2011 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 30, 2011 at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Gideon's International, 5106-B Two Notch Road, Columbia SC 29204, North Trenholm Baptist Church, 6515 North Trenholm Road, Columbia SC 29206 or to a charity of one's choice.