Dr. William E. Cole joined the university faculty in 1930 in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1933 he moved to the Department of Sociology and served as head of the department from 1936 until 1965. He was a specialist in sociology, education, and Tennessee culture. Among his monographs are *The Teaching of Biology* (1934), *Tennessee: A Political Study* (1940), *Urban Society* (1958), *Introductory Sociology* (1962), and *The Elderly in America* (1977). He chaired the Tennessee Commission on Aging. He received community service awards, was named the 1959 Phi Kappa Phi lecturer at UT, was designated an Alumni Outstanding Teacher at UT Knoxville for 1970, and received an award of merit from the UT College of Education. He was also elected president of the Southern Sociological Society and Tennessee Conference of Social Work and named a Fellow of the American Sociological Association. His contributions to the intellectual life of the university have been recognized by the placement of a plaque in his honor on a faculty study. Source: [Volopedia](https://volopedia.lib.utk.edu/entries/william-e-cole/)