Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
CARRIE JOHNSON and CRAIG BASSEEdward Cole, a doctor and former St. Petersburg mayor who was a pioneer in civil rights, dies at age 84.
ST. PETERSBURG - As one of St. Petersburg's oldest and best known pediatricians, Dr. Edward L. Cole Jr. had an unusual way of greeting people who came to speak before the City Council.
"He'd look at them and say, "I was there when you were born,' " said Robert Ulrich, who defeated Dr. Cole in the 1987 race for mayor.
Dr. Cole died at home Monday night (June 21, 2004) at the age of 84, after a long illness.
As a doctor and a pioneer for civil rights, Dr. Cole helped multiple generations of St. Petersburg residents from birth.
As St. Petersburg's mayor from 1985 to 1987, Dr. Cole was the leading critic of construction of a domed baseball stadium without first securing a team. He was one of three City Council members on the losing end of a 6-3 vote in 1986 to build the dome, and he refused to attend the groundbreaking.
Dr. Cole supported efforts to buy land for the expansion of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus in the Bayboro area and annex property in the Gateway region north of the city.
His shock of white hair and folksy demeanor gave him a grandfatherly air, but Dr. Cole could be a steadfast political opponent and didn't hesitate to denounce projects he viewed as wasteful or taking advantage of taxpayers.
"I didn't necessarily agree with him on the political issue of the day but I always had great respect for him," Mayor Rick Baker said Tuesday. "He always sincerely tried to figure out what was best for the city."
Dr. Cole began his political career as a City Council member in 1965, but quit halfway through his term in a dispute over the city's role in an antipoverty program he had begun.
An advocate for the poor and disadvantaged, Dr. Cole led the fight in 1966 to close all-black Mercy Hospital, which he said was providing substandard care. He also worked to integrate Mound Park Hospital, the forerunner of Bayfront Medical Center.
Dr. Cole also was one of the first doctors in St. Petersburg to integrate his waiting room.
Until his retirement in 1982, he quieted the coughs and soothed the stomach aches of hundreds of local children.
"He saw me on my second day of life," said City Council member Bill Foster, who unsuccessfully challenged Dr. Cole for a council seat in 1993. "I can't even tell you how many times he stitched me up over the years."
In 1985, Dr. Cole re-entered politics by running for mayor. He defeated Mayor Corinne Freeman, who had held office for eight years, by a ratio of 3-2.
While his opponent spent more than $24,000 on the race, Dr. Cole had a war chest of only $88. Much of that, he liked to point out, went for new photographs of himself.
Asked to explain his victory, Dr. Cole replied, "I really don't have an answer. I felt when I started the race that I had a big base of support, and it turned out well."
Seeking re-election in 1987, Dr. Cole spent even less than his first campaign - the cost of sending in his financial statement. Accepting no contributions, Dr. Cole was defeated by Ulrich, a lawyer and bank board chairman who raised more than $40,000.
"If I wasn't running," Dr. Cole said on election night, "I would have voted for him myself."
When Ulrich announced for re-election in 1989, Dr. Cole went after the council seat from District 4 and won it with 53 percent of the vote.
The soft-spoken pediatrician favored bow ties and suits around City Hall, but he turned to his collection of guayaberas for casual occasions.
"He was more than anything the most compassionate politician that I've served with," said Pinellas County Commissioner Bob Stewart, who served on City Council while Dr. Cole was mayor. "A little unorthodox in his style and a little unpredictable, but very, very strong in his beliefs."
Ulrich described him as a man of great integrity.
"Ed marched to his own beat," he said. "He saw matters with a lot less gray than the rest of the world. He would stick to his guns until the end."
Born in Hackensack, N.J., he came here in 1922 with his family and attended Mirror Lake Junior High School, St. Petersburg High School and St. Petersburg Junior College before attending the University of Virginia Medical School. He served his internship at the Naval Hospital, Newport, R.I.
During and immediately after World War II, Dr. Cole served with the Marine Corps as medical officer in China and the South Pacific.
After leaving the military he served a two-year pediatric residency at the University of Virginia Hospital and Rex Hospital, Raleigh, N.C. He returned to active duty with the Navy in 1952, taking charge of the pediatrics department at Charleston Naval Hospital until 1955.
He filled several roles for the Pinellas County Medical Society, including president, and served as vice president of the Florida Medical Association from 1962-63. He had held directorships with the Florida Medical Foundation, Blue Shield of Florida, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and the American Legion Children's Hospital.
Dr. Cole's civic interests ranged widely. He served as director of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Committee of 100. He was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church.
In March 1990 he gave $500,000 to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg to establish its first endowed chair in ethics. The money came from the estate of his mother, Marie, who died in June 1989.
Dr. Cole is survived by his wife of 18 years, Martha Ann; one daughter, Victoria S. Froom, Orlando; six sons: Edward L. Cole III, M.D., Peter VanSon, C.P.A., and lawyer Joseph A. Bayliss, all of St. Petersburg; Robert C. Bayliss, Monroe, Ga.; Mathew C. Bayliss, Los Angeles; and R. Mitchell Bayliss, St. Pete Beach.
A viewing is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.
The funeral will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Christ United Methodist Church, 467 First Ave. N.
- Information from Times files was used in this obituary.