John Rice Cole

1945 - 2020

John Rice Cole, died at home in Greenfield, Massachusetts, March 12, 2020 after a long illness. John was born in McCook, Nebraska, on February 18, 1945. He was raised in Lincoln and Wilsonville NE. When he was 13, his school told him to forget about going to college because his father had died. He won scholarships to Case Western and Columbia University. He received his B.A. from Columbia University, M.A. from the University of Illinois and PhD from Columbia University in Anthropology. While living in New York he was the American correspondent for Labor Weekly in the UK, providing information on Watergate. John knew he wanted to be a professor and teach. He taught at Drew University, Hartwick College, U Mass Amherst, University of Northern Iowa and other colleges. Teaching was his favorite occupation. His field research in archaeology led him to different areas in the world. He did field research in Iowa, Ecuador, England, Tanzania and Massachusetts. He also worked as an information transfer staff assistant at the Water Resources Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. John was an intellectual powerhouse. One of his scholarly contributions included a study with Dr. Mitch Mulholland on historic and prehistoric patterns of water use in the Connecticut River Valley. John was one of the original writers criticizing pseudo- or cult archaeology for not following the scientific method. He was an author and editor of many publications, too numerous to list here.

He was a member or fellow of the American Anthropology Association, Society for American Archaeology, Society of Sigma Xi, AAAS and other associations.

John devoted much time and energy to the National Center for Science Education. He was past president and board member of NCSE and editor of the Creation/Evolution journal. He was also Director of Communications at the American Humanist Association. He won the American Humanist Association's "Humanist Contribution to Science" award and a Humanist prize for the video documentary, "Case of the Texas Footprints."

John had a keen wit and sense of humor that made people laugh, even in a hospital setting. He was very kind and generous. John loved to collect old books, especially about Darwinism, evolutionary anthropology, and culture. He relished cooking everything from a pumpkin stuffed with peaches to bread machine bread. He liked buying heirloom tomatoes at farmers' markets. When he moved to California, he enjoyed visiting Gold Country and the national and state parks like Death Valley and Sequoia National Park.

His parents and brother predeceased him. Survived by his loving wife, Teresa, in-laws, nephew and cousins. There will be no services per his instructions. Please make any donations in his memory to the National Center for Science Education or your favorite charity.