Dr. Waverly M. Cole, retired anesthesiologist, dies at 80

Dr. Waverly Manson Cole agreed on the spot when it was suggested that he donate his collection of 19th-century Bohemian glass, Meissen porcelain figurines and English pottery.

The 500-plus pieces are now part of The Cole Gallery at Longwood University and an expansive legacy of giving by the retired anesthesiologist. Dr. Cole died at age 80 on Friday after a battle with cancer.

In addition to honoring his mother with gifts to her alma mater, Longwood, Dr. Cole spread his generosity to the College of William and Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University and the Southside SPCA in Meherrin. There, a building is named for April, a Jack Russell terrier Dr. Cole shared with his longtime friend and partner, John R. Cook.

"He spent his whole life giving," Cook said. He was "the most thoughtful, generous person you could meet. Everything was a cause for him."

In 2006, Longwood's College of Arts and Sciences was renamed the Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences in recognition of a $5 million gift commitment by Cook and Dr. Cole to provide scholarship funding, programming and operational support.

A native of Blackstone, Dr. Cole followed a great-grandfather into medicine, graduating from William and Mary and the Medical College of Virginia before establishing a family practice in Farmville in 1957.

In the years after World War II, the Army needed doctors in Europe, and Dr. Cole volunteered to practice in Heidelberg, Germany, where he also studied at the University of Heidelberg and developed an appreciation for fine antique glass and pottery. He served about two years before returning to MCV for a residency in anesthesiology.

He served as a clinical professor before being recruited to start a department of anesthesia at St. Mary's Hospital when it opened in 1966. He retired in 1997 from the Richmond Eye and Ear Hospital after a 40-year career that included the treatment of governors and their children, as well as other prominent Virginians, Cook said.

"He had the reputation of being the very best," he said.

Dr. Cole also treated patients who were unable to pay, and he came to see philanthropy as a way to help his country and humanity. Dr. Cole directed that his body be donated to VCU Medical Center for research.

A memorial service will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Westminster Canterbury, 1600 Westbrook Ave. in Richmond.