Wertha Pendleton Cole

Wertha Pendleton Cole (January 18, 1891 – January 1, 1959) was an American educational administrator and astronomer.[1]

Wertha Pendleton Cole
Born(1891-01-18)January 18, 1891
DiedJanuary 1, 1959(1959-01-01) (aged 67)
EducationColumbia University (1914)
University of Virginia
OccupationDean of Women from 1943 to 1958
EmployerBryn Athyn College
Spouse(s)Robert MacFarlan Cole III
ChildrenWilliam P. Cole
Dandridge M. Cole
Aubrey Cole Odhner
Robert H. P. Cole
Parent(s)William Frederic Pendleton
Mary Lawson Young

Biography

She was born on January 18, 1891 to William Frederic Pendleton. He was the founding bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem.[2] She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University in 1914.[1] As part of her graduate work at the University of Virginia, in 1917-1918, she did parallax observations for Prof. Samuel Alfred Mitchell at the McCormick Observatory.[1] She was the Dean of Women at Bryn Athyn College from 1943 to 1958 and also headed the astronomy department.[1][3] She organized the Bryn Athyn team for Operation Moonwatch[3] explaining: "I wanted to do something practical for the International Geophysical Year. I felt this was the best way to help."[4][5] She was a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society from 1935 to 1959, serving as its secretary 1950-1951.

She died on January 1, 1959.

Family

Her husband Robert MacFarlan Cole III was a chemist, and one of her sons, Dandridge M. Cole, was a space rocket designer.[3][6][7]

Publications
  • "Ancient Astronomy and Astrology," The Journal of Education, 1931, 27-35.
  • "Swedenborg's Work on the Longitude," The New Philosophy, 1933, 169-178.

Sources and references
  1. Leaders in Education p. 207
  2. Pendleton, William Frederic (1958). Confederate Memoirs. p. 175.
  3. "Robert MacFarlan Cole". Associated Press in New York Times. January 24, 1986. Robert MacFarlan Cole, a chemist who helped develop Freon and its use as a refrigerant and an aerosol propellant, died Saturday. He was 94 years old [sic]. Funeral services for Mr. Cole were held Monday. Mr. Cole helped develop a substance to counteract poisonous gas in World War I, a synthetic rubber in World War II as well as household, automobile, gardening and industrial products. Mr. Cole and William Rhodes, a Du Pont chemist, developed a gas used in refrigeration that Du Pont gave the trade name Freon. Survivors include a son, a daughter and 19 grandchildren..
  4. Corelli, Marie (1993). Keep Watching the Skies. ISBN 0-691-12854-5. I wanted to do something practical for the International Geophysical Year. I felt this was the best way to help.
  5. The Sunday Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA, May 18, 1958, Section 2, p. 1
  6. Heise, Kenan (January 21, 1986). "Robert MacFarlan Cole: Helped Develop Freon". Chicago Tribune..
  7. "Robert M. Cole, 94, Pioneering Chemist". Philadelphia Inquirer. January 19, 1986. Robert MacFarlan Cole, 94 [sic], a noted chemist who helped develop numerous household, automotive, gardening and industrial products, died early yesterday at his home in Bryn Athyn. At the time of his death, Mr. Cole was a chemical consultant for the Pennsylvania Engineering Co. in Philadelphia, which he joined in 1947 and served as chemical director, after gaining recognition for his work at several other jobs. Mr. Cole was born in Chicago in 1891, attended Armour Institute in Chicago, and....


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