SEPTEMBER 3 -A memorial service for Dr. Waverly Mason Cole, 80, will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond. He died Friday, August 28, 2009 after a battle with cancer.

A native of Blackstone, Dr. Cole graduated from William and Mary and the Medical College of Virginia before establishing his medical practice in Farmville in 1957. He returned to MCV for a residency in anesthesiology.

In honor of his mother who was a graduate of Longwood College, Dr. Cole donated his collection of 19th century Bohemian glass, Meissen porcelain figurines and English pottery which is now part of The Cole Gallery at Longwood.

He was a major benefactor of Longwood and, in 2006, the Longwood College of Arts and Sciences was renamed the Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences, in recognizing a $5 million commitment by Dr. Cole and John R. Cook, a Longwood graduate and benefactor.

In addition to his gifts to colleges, Dr. Cole is also known locally for his support of the Southside SPCA at Meherrin.

Memorial contributions may be made to Longwood University Scholarship Fund or Southside SPCA, P.O. Box 66, Meherrin, VA 23954.