“It’s not usual for an educator to get an F minus in something,” says higher education legend Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, during a recent conversation with Diverse.
“I’ve tried to retire three times before,” she says.
However, she has come out of retirement repeatedly to work with her peers in the world of education, putting her “low points” in context. “I have done so, because if there is something you think you could do, you should,” she says proudly. Cole’s thoughts about her life and career came during a brief break from a demanding schedule. She is set to begin a new chapter after officially retiring this month as director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art after eight years.
“I’m going to retire from the Smithsonian,” Cole politely stresses, hoping to make it clear she does not intend to retire anytime soon from her lifelong career as an anthropologist, educator, author, and humanitarian.
“I think I can be useful,” says the 80-year-old wife, mother of three sons, a stepson, and grandmother of three grandchildren.
Indeed, those who have known Cole as peer, mentor and inspiration sound as optimistic as she is about her next step, following her tenure at the Smithsonian, serving as president of Spelman and Bennett colleges, teaching at several universities, earning a Ph.D. in anthropology, authoring half a dozen books, and being awarded more than 50 honorary degrees.
“She is a phenomenal person,” says Lezli Baskerville, president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the national professional trade association of presidents of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 2006, Baskerville nominated Cole for the organization’s new award recognizing “exemplary presidents and chancellors.”
