Dr. Thomas W. Cole, Jr. (PhD ‘66), an alumnus of the Department of Chemistry who significantly contributed to the first synthesis of cubane, and a leader in higher education died April 14. He was 81 years old.
As a PhD student, Cole worked with his advisor, Professor Emeritus Phillip Eaton, to synthesize cubane. Before this work, cubic carbon-based molecules were considered to be too highly strained to exist, so the synthesis of cubane was expected to be impossible. Cubane and similar hydrocarbons are useful for controlled energy storage because they can store large amounts of energy in small spaces. “Tom initialized the decades-long investigation of the incredible chemistry of cubane,” said Eaton.
Cole was the first graduate student to work with Eaton, and they developed a good professional relationship. As Cole reflected in a 2006 interview with the HistoryMakers, “He turned out to be a very good major professor, had my interests at heart, and really wanted to see me continue to do well”.
After earning his PhD in Organic Chemistry from UChicago, Thomas W. Cole took leadership positions at multiple universities. Cole was named President of Atlanta University and of Clark University in 1988, then the founding President of the combined Clark Atlanta University. He served as its president until 2002. He came out of retirement to serve as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007-2008.
“Tom was a true gentleman, liked and respected by all,” said Eaton.