Robert A. Cole

Robert A. Cole, a widely respected scholar who taught history for 35 years at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, and inspired many students, died Sept. 13 after a period of failing health. He was 84. 

He was born in Boston and raised in Roslindale, the son of Andrew and Julia (Coughlin) Cole, and later the stepson of Mary Lou (Chapman) Cole. A three-sport athlete in high school, he enlisted in the Army at 19 and was stationed in post-war Korea. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history at Boston College and two master’s degrees, in history at the University of Maryland and education at Bridgewater State College. He resided in Halifax for thirty years. 

Mr. Cole began his lifelong vocation as a teacher at Whitman-Hanson in 1966 and was respected for his high standards, intellectual rigor, and dedication to his students. After retiring in 2000, he was a visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State College and also supervised teacher training there. 

He traveled widely as a scholar, visiting India and the Netherlands as a Fulbright Scholar, as well as South Korea and the Soviet Union shortly before the end of the Cold War. He was also a teacher-fellow at the Russian Research Institute at Harvard University. 

Mr. Cole co-authored “Teaching Russian and Soviet Studies in the High School” and a three-volume series on the teaching of European history, as well as a volume of poetry. He also published articles in The Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, The Concord Review, The New England Journal of History, Teachers’ Voices, and many others. 

Robert was a devout Christian and a member of First Congregational Church of Hanson. He loved baseball and the Boston Bruins, cats, classical music, theater and ballet, learning foreign languages, gardening, and engaging in lively conversation over a good meal. Each summer he looked forward to spending time with family in Bethel, Maine. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Joanne (Macdougall) Cole of Middleboro; his daughter Laura McBride and her husband Michael of Plymouth; his daughter Janet Coleman and her husband Jack, also of Plymouth; his sisters Rhonda Dalton of Rotonda, Fla, Mary Lou Killelea of Marshfield and the late Diane O’Leary of Roslindale; his grandchildren Julia and Hannah McBride and Billy and Emma Coleman, all of Plymouth; and many loving relatives and friends. 

A wake will be held at Sullivan Funeral Home, 2 Maquan St. at the corner of Rte 14 & 58 in Hanson, on Thursday Sept. 19 from 4 to 7 p.m. His funeral will follow the next morning at 10 at First Congregational Church, 639 High St., Hanson. A reception will follow in the church’s fellowship hall. Mr. Cole will be laid to rest at a future date at Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Whitman Hanson Regional High School’s Robert Cole History Scholarship, which was established upon his retirement by his former students. Donations in Robert’s memory can be made to Whitman Hanson Dollars for Scholars (in the name of Robert Cole History Scholarship), P.O. Box 26, Whitman, MA 02382.

Click here to watch Robert's full funeral service.