Bessie Olive Cole

Bessie Olive Cole, known as the “First Lady of Maryland Pharmacy,” blazed a trail of outstanding services and “firsts” that few women have matched. Among her many unique accomplishments, she was the first woman to receive a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law; the first female Acting Dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; the first woman to hold a full professorship at the School of Pharmacy; honorary President of the Maryland Pharmacist Association, honorary President of the Alumni Association of the School of Pharmacy, a recipient of the Honored Alumnus Award, and the only woman member of the Baltimore Veteran Druggists Association.

Cole was born in Mount Carmel, Baltimore County, on November 14, 1883, to Jordan B. and Nancy E. Cole. She graduated from Baltimore Business College in 1903, and began her career as a stenographer with the Baltimore pharmaceutical manufacturer Sharp & Dohme, which eventually became the world-famous firm of Merck Sharp & Dohme. As a result of her work, her interest in pharmaceuticals led her to enter the University of Maryland, where she earned the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy in 1913.

She was employed as a pharmacist in Washington from 1916 to 1920. In 1920, she joined the staff of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, serving as secretary of the faculty for more than a quarter of a century, from 1920 until her retirement in 1953. During that time, she earned a law degree, becoming the first female to receive a degree from the University. From 1948 to 1949, she served as Acting Dean of the School of Pharmacy. In addition, she taught botany, materia medica, economics, and pharmaceutical law.

Cole was a life member of the Maryland Pharmacists Association, the American Pharmaceutical Association, and a charter member of the Epsilon Chapter of Lambda Kappa Sigma pharmacy sorority. She served as President of the Baltimore Branch of the American Pharmaceutical Association of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She was also a charter member and past President of the Quota Club International.

The Maryland Pharmacists Association established The Dr. B. Olive Cole Pharmacy Museum to Honor Dr. Bessie Olive Cole and her many achievements. Cole died on June 5, 1971.

"Hail to the lady of many firsts—the first lady of Pharmacy in Maryland." - quote from Women of Achievement in Maryland History (2002).