Cornelius McCole

Detroit and the world of medicine lost one of their most distinguished and illustrious citizens recently.
Cornelius (Con) E. McCole, M.D., Emeritus Chairman of the ophthalmology department at Henry Ford Health System, died Thursday, June 19, 2008, just before midnight at St. Joseph Hospital in Pontiac, Mich. He was 83 years old. Several of his friends were with him when he died.
Dr. McCole was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on October 16, 1924. He graduated from Wyoming Seminary, and upon graduation from Princeton University, he entered medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. After surgical training at the Guthrie Clinic in Pennsylvania, he entered the residency program at Johns Hopkins in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, where he also completed a fellowship in surgical and eye pathology.
Jack Guyton, M.D., his mentor from Johns Hopkins, came to the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit in 1954 as the chairman of ophthalmology. In 1956, he recruited Dr. McCole to work with him. Con remained one of Detroit’s most vibrant citizens ever since. In 1976, Dr. McCole became chairman of the ophthalmology department and brought the department to a new level of excellence.
Dr. McCole was a mentor to many. His electric personality, genuine interest in and affection for people from a variety of walks of life, coupled with his extraordinary intelligence, attracted the talent of many who joined him in Detroit. He insisted on the highest standards in patient care and education, inspired others to do likewise and restored both joy and excellence to the profession at a time when others were faltering. In 1992, a $1 million chair was established in Dr. McCole’s honor to foster research and innovative care in ophthalmology. The chair was a gift of his good friend J. Edward Lundy, retired executive vice president of the Ford Motor Company.
His friends called him “Con,” and many remember his more frequently used expressions: he believed that “rules exist to keep those who aren’t going anywhere out of the way of those who are.” Or to those bogged down in trivia, he would say: “Don’t bother me with your little problems; our destiny is to go out across the Milky Way.” He would frequently say: “If you want an opinion ask a man, if you want something done, ask a woman.” He used first-rate food as an excuse to convene many prominent citizens around the tables of Detroit’s and Northeastern Pennsylvania’s finest restaurants where ideas and lives where changed. His network of friends and supporters ranged from busboys to millionaires. His generosity was legendary. He paid the tuition of young people otherwise unable to attend college, always doing so anonymously. He thought of his chief residents as U.S. Navy Seals and frequently said: “Their motto is anything, anytime, anyhow, and I expect that of you.” He arranged for the Commandant of Seals to meet with his residents. By declaring people special, they became special and performed in extraordinary ways.
On his watch, the ophthalmology residents were known as among the system’s best. They could always be counted on as exemplars of competence and professionalism.
He was an admirer of Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, and America’s great railroads. His extraordinary mind was especially well-versed in American history, philosophy, theology and the great social movements of the past. Many have been exposed to his “Unified Field Theory,” which he would summarize at unforgettable dinners. This theory portrayed a clear picture of man’s place in the universe, incorporating both material and spiritual elements into a unified whole. It organized knowledge into different degrees, ranging from the sensory to the metaphysical. He was a humanist, deeply interested in and supportive of individuals, but also committed to and concerned about humanity’s role and place in the great social, philosophical and theological movements. A devout Catholic, a scholar of Aquinas, and an autodidact theologian, he used inquiry to challenge and stimulate thinking and always did so with great affection and curiosity. He liked to disarm people. When out with his conservative friends, he proudly displayed his lifetime membership card in the American Civil Liberties Union, and when with liberal friends, he brought out his lifetime membership in the National Rifle Association, honoring both arms of the paradox.
His father, Cornelius McCole, was the mayor of Wilkes-Barre and an insurance executive. His mother was the former Arline Sweeney. During Con’s childhood, distinguished visitors frequented the McCole family home. When Con was not quite 1 year old, Babe Ruth came to town for an exhibition game, visited the McCole home, and threw Con up in the air, catching him repeatedly. During his childhood, Con was an avid swimmer and boxer, the latter taught by his father in an attempt to compensate for a bad back, the residual of a childhood illness. Con was the oldest of three. His brother, John, and sister Sally preceded Con in death. He is survived by his niece, Arline Eltzroth, in Washington, D.C.; and his sister-in-law, Constance McCole Umphred, along with innumerable friends and admirers.
A funeral Mass will be held at the Sacred Heart Church, 22430 Michigan Ave. (Michigan Ave. and Military) Dearborn, Michigan, at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, 2008. A memorial service will be held locally at the convenience of the family. Contributions may be made to The McCole Foundation, 190 Lathrop St., Kingston, PA 18704. Arrangements are by the Harold C. Snowdon Funeral Home.