Harry Fahrig Cole

10/18/1949 - 10/25/2025

Harry Cole was a husband, father, baker, musician, crossword puzzle fiend, rock 'n' roll maven, and firm believer that being a lawyer—and living life—should be fun.
Harry Fahrig Cole was born in Providence, Rhode Island on October 18, 1949 to Francis Sessions (Frank) and Florence (Blossom) Cole. Harry and his older brother Sessions grew up on and around Narragansett Bay, spending summers in Jamestown and the rest of the year in Providence. Harry's wide-ranging interests began at an early age. By the end of high school he was an enthusiastic Latin scholar, camp counselor, and exchange student in France; he played in a band and graduated at the top of his class at the Moses Brown School. Music, specifically rock 'n' roll, captured his attention and creativity most; he taught himself to play the guitar and banjo by listening to folk and rock records repeatedly. At Amherst College, he won an American Studies award for his senior thesis, "Rock Music and Youth Culture in America, 1960-1969," a painstakingly researched history of early rock 'n' roll. In law school at Boston University, his course in Property Law inspired him to compose his "Land Use Opera".
Harry moved to DC in 1974 to begin his career in communications law. He started as an attorney with the FCC before moving to the firm now known as ArentFox Schiff LLP. Subsequently, he and Gene Bechtel formed Bechtel & Cole, Chtd., a partnership that would last two decades. Harry enjoyed practicing law in his own way—adventurous, irreverent, but never frivolous—and finding kindred characteristics in his colleagues and clients. He was part of the team that argued the seminal First Amendment case, FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, before the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of broadcasting George Carlin's "seven dirty words" monologue. While he sported an 0-2 record before the Supremes (having appeared again before the Court in 1990), he liked to point out that both decisions were 5-4 and one was later overturned.
After Bechtel & Cole disbanded, Harry spent 18 years at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth PLC, representing clients in broadcast regulatory matters. He was also the creator and self-anointed "Blogmeister" of CommLawBlog, which served as an outlet for his professional, editorial, and creative inclinations.
Harry didn't let the constraints of a day job cramp his style. He kept playing and composing music, fronting the DC bar band "The Fabulous Karmadebts" as singer and lead guitarist; featuring on WWDC's Howard Stern Show in the early 1980s as the resident rock 'n' roll trivia expert and member of the famed Think Tank; and baking breads, cinnamon buns, cookies, and other treats to share with friends and colleagues.
Harry married the love of his life, Laurie Genevro, in 1986. In 1989, they welcomed their son Tucker and in 1991, Wiley joined the family. Harry continued to apply his creative streak to his new role as father: baking thematic cakes for birthday parties, writing sportscaster-esque wrap-ups of Little League games, and playing bedtime songs on the guitar. The family took on the challenges of keeping up with his voracious appetite for crossword puzzle books and adopting his Boston Red Sox fandom. Harry enthusiastically supported Laurie's ventures in local government and his sons' activities spanning music, trivia, and sports.
He loved to travel with Laurie, cheer loudly at Tucker and Wiley's graduations, celebrate big events with gusto, and spend time with the many Airedale Terriers the family had over their four decades together in Vienna, Virginia. His flair pens were blue, coffee was cold, and answers were in the form of a question. He was brilliant, supportive, fun-loving, generous, pragmatic, and kind—and a cancer diagnosis in 2012 did nothing to change that.
On October 25, 2025, Harry passed away at Inova Fairfax Hospital surrounded by loved ones. He is survived by his wife Laurie; two sons, Tucker and William (Wiley); brother Francis Sessions Cole III and sister-in-law Patricia; extended family; and countless friends, colleagues, and adoring fans. We will miss him.