1970-1979: Cole & Waggoner
Charles Chester Cole (1970-1975)
President Cole was born on Sept. 12, 1922 in Altoona, PA. He served in the US Army Air Corps as a 1st lieutenant and fighter pilot in the Eighth Air Force during WWII.
Cole received in AB, MA, and PhD in history from Columbia University. From 1946-1958 he served as Associate Dean of Students and taught American history at Columbia. From 1958-1970 he was Professor of History, Dean, and Provost at Lafayette College. In 1963, he participated in the historic March on Washington. On July 1, 1970 he became the President of Wilson College. During his tenure, Cole worked to turn around the rapidly falling enrollment and retention rates by developing new majors, increasing the efforts of the admissions office and welcoming non-traditional students including older women. His efforts were unsuccessful, and he resigned in March 1975.
President Cole died on June 18, 2010.
Dr. Margaret A. Waggoner (1975-1979)
President Waggoner began her presidency at Wilson on August 1, 1975. She was a physics professor and then Dean at Smith College.
President Waggoner attempted to improve enrollment by re-dedicating the college to the ideals of a liberal arts college, moving away from some of the career preparation efforts attempted by the previous administration. Enrollment continued to fall, however.
On Monday, February 19, 1979 President Margaret Waggoner announced the closure of Wilson College. On March 3rd a mass meeting of 300 people including members of the Alumnae Association, students and faculty was held in Thomson Hall to discuss options. After a meeting with the board in New York was unsuccessful in changing the decision, the Alumnae Association announced on March 14th that it would be filing suit to keep the college open. The Save Wilson Committee was established to raise funds, open an office in Chambersburg and hire attorneys.
Six hundred alumnae returned to campus to celebrate May Day on May 5th. On May 7, the hearing to save the college opened with Judge John W. Keller presiding. Five days of testimony from students, alumnae, faculty, trustees, staff, President Waggoner, and expert witnesses followed. Fundraising efforts of the Save Wilson Committee reached $1.1 million before the end of the hearing.
On May 25, 1979, Judge Keller ruled that Wilson College would remain open. The 44 members of the class of 1979 graduated on May 27, 1979.
President Waggoner died in 2021.