Charlie Cole graduated from The Citadel in 1968 with a degree in business administration, and last fall, he returned to his alma mater to receive The Citadel School of Business Administration's first Alumnus of the Year award.
Cole said he was encouraged to attend The Citadel by his father, who while working for Sears in Gastonia, N.C., served as a mentor to Leonard H. "Budgie" Broom, a 1956 Citadel graduate and football star. Broom served as a role model to Cole throughout those years.
Charlie Cole
Since graduating from The Citadel, Cole earned certifications at Louisiana State University Banking School of the South and at the University of North Carolina Executive Program. He spent two years of active duty in the U.S. Army and remained in the reserves for 23 years. Thiry-six years were spent in banking with South Carolina National Bank and Wachovia, before he returned to Charleston to serve as Chief Executive Officer for Corporate DevelopMint, a fundraising consulting firm.
Cole has also served on a variety of boards and commissions holding a plethora of positions. He received the Midlands Ambassador of the Year Award from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce in 2003, and a year later, was named S.C. Ambassador for Economic Development 2004 by Gov. Mark Sanford.
Although he didn't have much involvement with The Citadel for some time, Cole said five years ago he was invited to join The Citadel Foundation board. Three years ago he was asked to head up the investment committee, and since then, he has continued to volunteer his time to raise money for the college.
“I really have enjoyed being back at the school doing some stuff that is beneficial," he said.
Aside from receiving the Alumnus of the Year award, Cole received another surprise at the award ceremony in November: Budgie Broom was in attendance. "I was most humbled by the whole thing and the fact that he would come," Cole said.
Receiving the award has been one of the larger honors he has received since being back and involved with The Citadel, Cole said. "I was very, very honored. I don't mind telling people I got that."
