Badge: 122/277
Age:  24
Served:  2¾ years
January 3, 1962 to October 3, 1964

On October 1st and 2nd in 1964 temperatures in southwest Ohio reached 80 degrees and then on the morning of October 3rd dipped to 40 degrees.  The difference between the air temperature and the moist ground produced numerous pockets of dense fog.  About 6:30 a.m. on the 3rd, a Franklin driver slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer southbound on Interstate 75 north of the Tylersville Road exit, killing the driver and starting a chain reaction of 20 to 25 crashes and 22 other injuries along a five-mile span of the interstate in Union and Liberty Townships.  At least five ambulances, 17 tow trucks, five Butler County deputies and a dozen Ohio State patrolmen responded.  About 7:30 a.m. Patrolman Cole of the Dayton Post and resident of Dayton was using a flashlight to attempt to stop traffic in the southbound lanes when he was struck and killed by a car driven by a West Alexandria man.  His body was thrown 75 feet down the interstate.

Patrolman Cole, a 1958 graduate of Fairfield High School and military veteran, left a wife, child, and both parents. 

If you have further information, artifacts, or pictures of this officer, please contact the Museum Director at Director@GCPHS.com.