Charles W. Cole Jr. – “Benjamin Rush Award Lecturer”

cole finalFormer President and CEO, First Maryland Bankcorp and The National Bank of Maryland

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Tuesday, February 21, 2012  **
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:00 p.m.

Cole will analyze and discuss the state of the U.S. economy from a global perspective, with a special focus on both the strengths and weaknesses of current financial markets, including how they might affect future job opportunities of college graduates. Cole will also have some suggestions regarding the shaping of an investment portfolio.

This program is part of the The Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.

Cole PicBiography (provided by the speaker)
Charles W. Cole Jr., is a retired Baltimore Banker and Community leader. He was born in Baltimore, son of a lawyer.  Cole is a graduate of Gilman School and Washington and Lee University with a degree in economics and earned his LL.B. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Mr. Cole spent 34 years with First Maryland Bankcorp and the First National Bank of Maryland. He served as President (1977-1994) and Chief Executive Officer (1984-1994). He was also Chief Administrative Officer and a Director of First Maryland Bankcorp. During the 10 years after Mr. Cole took the helm as CEO, First Maryland’s compounded growth rate exceeded 20% – a record unmatched by the largest 100 bank holding companies in the country.

After retiring from the bank, Mr. Cole was managing Director and Vice Chairman of Brown Advisory. After departing Brown Advisory, Mr. Cole was Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legg Mason Trust (now Legg Mason Investment Council and Trust Company).

Mr. Cole served as trustee of a number of institutions such as the University of Maryland Board of Regents, University of Maryland Baltimore, the University of Maryland Foundation, the Allied Irish Banks of Dublin, Ireland and Provident Bank of Maryland. He was President of the Elkridge Club. He was a member of the Board of the Center Club, the Greater Baltimore Committee, Medical Eye Bank of Maryland, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Maryland Zoological Society, the Governor’s Maryland High Technology Roundtable, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Maryland Institute College of Art and Sinai Hospital.

Mr. Cole was chosen by then-Governor Harry R. Hughes to represent the financial community on the Governor’s initial trade mission to the People’s Republic of China. That visit resulted in the establishment of the first correspondent banking relationship between a Chinese bank and a bank in this region. In 1982, Mr. Cole served as Vice Chairman of the United Way of Central Maryland Campaign. Mr. Cole was awarded the Henry A. Rosenberg, Sr. Distinguished Citizen’s Award, Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America in December, 1992.

Mr. Cole loves investments and serves on the investment committees at the University of Maryland Foundation, Medstar, Sheppard Pratt, Calvert School and Dickinson College, Goldseker, and France-Merrick Foundation.

Mr. Cole, his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren have hiked Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt Washington in New Hampshire many times and have done extensive trekking in Switzerland for many years.

Mr. Cole’s highest priority in life is a deep devotion to his family. Mr. Cole is delighted to have lived during the time of Ted Williams, John Unitas, Otto Graham, Raymond Berry, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Sugar Ray Robinson, Poncho Gonzalez, Bjorn Borg, Rhinehold Messner and Secretariat.

The Benjamin Rush Award
The Benjamin Rush Award for Humanistic Values in Corporate and Government Life, established in 1985, is one of the most prestigious annual awards presented at Dickinson College. The Award celebrates the achievements of officials and executives who have reached the highest levels in government service or the corporate world. It is named in honor of Benjamin Rush, the prominent colonial Philadelphia physician who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and founder of Dickinson.

The Award is conferred at a public ceremony on the Dickinson campus, during which the recipient presents the annual Rush Award Lecture. The lectureship guidelines stipulate that the recipient should comment on issues of significance to government or the corporate world, with some attention to the value of the liberal arts in preparing individuals for responsible citizenship. The recipient of the Award is presented with an honorarium and a bronze medal bearing Rush’s likeness. Prior to the Rush Lecture the college hosts a reception and dinner in honor of the recipient.

Video of the Program