Longtime member George Cole remembered by Gannon community

The Gannon Golf Course community lost one of its longtime members with the death of George L. Cole on Jan. 10.Cole, 87, was a member and chairman of the Lynn Park Commission at one time and played a key role in the transformation of the former Happy Valley Golf Course to the current Gannon Municipal Golf Course.Gannon member Tom Newhall has been involved with the course for many years and was a friend of Cole?s son, Mike, who has enjoyed a very successful golf career coming out of Gannon.?I?ve been around a long time and he was there long before I was,” Newhall said. “He was a great friend of Larry?s (Larry Gannon, for whom the course is named). George and I had a lot of laughs.”Newhall said Cole was like a founding father of the course.?He loved the place. He made sure we were always taken care of. He was tip-top. He supported Larry (Gannon) and he supported Mike Foster. We have a lot to thank George for for the golf course we have,” Newhall said.Tara Friedman, who pretty much grew up at Gannon and now coaches the English High School golf team, remembers being a youngster when Cole would come to the course.?We would listen to the history, how it came to be. He was always full of such amazing information. I?m very grateful for what he did to make Gannon what it is today,” she said.Friedman?s father-in-law, Howard Friedman, said he started going up to Gannon after he got married and would often play in the club championship against Cole?s son, Mike.?He (George Cole) always treated me well,” Friedman said.Chris Carter, who along with partner Steve Murphy runs Golf Facilities Management Inc., the company that is on the brink of taking over operation of the course, said he hopes to continue on in the tradition of people like Cole. It?s people like Cole,he said, who made Gannon what it is.Carter, 39, grew up in Lynn, golfed at Gannon and graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School. Carter said he knew Cole was very proud of the product he helped build.?I?ve only seen Gannon on the upswing. I just want to try and carry through the tradition of men like Cole,” he said.Murphy said he?s known Cole since 1976 when Cole was chairman of the park commission that hired him.?George loved the place,” Murphy said. “He loved Larry Gannon. The golf course was his favorite park in the city.”Murphy said Cole loved the game and was an avid player.?George was always a pleasure to be with. Just a man?s man. He loved the golf course, loved the game, loved everything about it,” Murphy said.Murphy said Cole loved the competitive tournaments.?Even when he played a casual round he enjoyed being competitive,” Murphy said.Cole was the husband of Florence (St. Laurent) Cole, was an assistant clerk at Lynn District Court for 15 years and in 1981 was appointed clerk magistrate of Gloucester District Court, where he served until his retirement in 1989.In addition to serving on the Lynn Park Commission, he served on the Lynn Licensing Commission. He served in World War II and upon returning to Lynn served as a firefighter and was the owner of the Donovan and Cole Funeral Home. He was a member of many organizations, including Connery American Legion Post 6, Lynn Shore Little League and the Knights of Columbus.