College mourns passing of Board Chair
Aug. 27, 2021
Maryville College is mourning the sudden and unexpected passing of its board chair, A. Coleman “Cole” Piper ’68.
Piper, a longtime Knoxville resident, died in an accident on Thursday in Chautauqua, N.Y. He was 74.
In a message to the campus community, Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker called Piper “synonymous with Maryville College” and said he and Piper had the “best possible relationship” as board chair and president.
“He had quickly become my advisor, mentor and friend,” wrote Coker, who began his presidency in 2020. “The entire MC community will miss him immensely, and we are sending our love and prayers to the Piper family during this challenging time.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Maryville College in 1968, Piper, a native of Pennsylvania, completed post-graduate work at the University of Tennessee and Penn State University. He spent most of his career as an executive with Proffitt’s department stores, starting full-time as distribution center manager in 1972. He served as assistant operations manager and operations manager, until being named executive vice president and director of stores in 1984. When he retired in 1999, Proffitt’s Inc., through major acquisitions, had more than 320 stores and revenues close to $6 billion.
Piper joined the College’s Board of Directors in October 2019 and served as chair of the Board’s Advancement Committee. He began his term as board chair on Oct. 16, 2020, becoming only the 20th person to hold the position in the College’s 202-year history.
In his message to campus, Coker wrote that Piper was a “longstanding and ardent supporter of Maryville College,” citing previous service to the College as an adjunct professor, marketing director for the on-campus Mountain Challenge program, and interim leader for the Admissions team in 2012.
The president also shared that Piper was on the College’s Bicentennial Steering Committee, serving as chair of the communication and promotions subcommittee.
In 2017, he was instrumental in moving the then-217-year-old former home of Maryville College founder Isaac Anderson from Knox County, Tenn., to the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend, Tenn. The home – a two-story log cabin – was dedicated on Feb. 8, 2019, as part of the College’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration. Now open to the public, the cabin contains panels that tell the story of Isaac Anderson, the founding of Maryville College in 1819 as the Southern and Western Theological Seminary and Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, which Anderson founded in 1818.
Coker said the Isaac Anderson cabin project was a “remarkable testament to Cole’s love for this institution” and his passion for the College’s history.
“No one was a bigger fan of Maryville College,” the president wrote of Piper. “ … much of his life was dedicated to the College’s success and advancement.
“While we are devastated by the tragic loss of Cole, we know that he would want nothing more than to see Maryville College proceed boldly into the future and thrive for generations to come – that’s exactly what he and I were discussing in a phone conversation, just a few hours before his passing.”
A memorial service will be held on Fri., Oct. 1, at 11 a.m. at Church Street United Methodist Church (900 Henley Street) in Knoxville. Rev. Catherine Nance and Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade will be officiating, and Coker will deliver a eulogy. Visitation with the family will occur afterwards.
The College is accepting gifts in Piper’s memory, if alumni and friends choose honor him in this way. Gifts can be made online or made payable to Maryville College at 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804.
Active in Knoxville
Piper was active in numerous businesses, organizations and causes in East Tennessee. He previously served as executive in residence in the Department of Retail and Consumer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He was past president of the Tennessee Retail Federation and served on several boards, including Proffitt’s Inc., Knoxville Utilities Board, Duke University Divinity School, Dogwood Arts Festival, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, Holston Home for Children, Emerald Youth Foundation, Blount County Red Cross, Helen Ross McNabb Center, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Episcopal School of Knoxville, Asbury Center, and Blount Hearing and Speech Foundation. He was a member of Church Street United Methodist Church.
Piper is survived by wife Sue and children Amy, Jackie, Caroline and Austin.
