Retired doctor pledges $1M to his former college
WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) -A retired doctor who credits Southwestern College with helping him earn a medical degree has repaid the school with a pledge of $1 million.
Ward Cole, 95, doubled as a dairy farmer and college student when he attended the school in the 1920s. A chemistry professor at the college helped him get into the University of Kansas, where he received a master’s degree in biochemistry and then his medical degree.
He also met his wife at Southwestern.
Cole worked as a physician in Wellington for more than 50 years, finally retiring at 80. He has also served on the college’s board of trustees for 50 years.
“If it hadn’t been for the college, I wouldn’t be Dr. Cole,” he said.
Cole’s gift includes real estate, stocks and bonds valued at about $1 million.
The college will rename its women’s hall Ward M. Cole Hall on April 17, its Founders Day.
College president Dick Merriman said about half of Cole’s gift will be used for scholarships and half for a building fund.
UC Berkeley student dies after night of drinking
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — A University of California, Berkeley student died after a night of drinking, police said.
Steve Saucedo, 21, was found dead in his apartment Friday morning, said Berkeley police spokesman Kevin Schofield. A friend called authorities after being unable to rouse Saucedo, who had passed out after drinking heavily the night before.
“It appears the victim was having a drinking contest with a small group of friends in which a large amount of alcohol was consumed,” Schofield said.
Toxicology tests are still being conducted to confirm the cause of death.
Schofield said no criminal charges are currently pending.
Saucedo was a junior at Berkeley who had transferred from Pasadena City College and enrolled at Berkeley last summer, according to UC records.