Kitty Cole celebrated her 101st birthday on July 7th and has lived in Rehoboth Beach for most of her life, spending the last 75 consecutive years at her downtown home. In preparation for the interview, Kitty pulled out her prior handwritten notes, and hopped up off the couch, with ease, to show pictures of her family and documents from her previous political crusades.
Kitty was born in 1923 and moved to Rehoboth with her parents and sister, Anne Lynam (another local legend) at just 13. She graduated from Rehoboth Beach High School, (and the exposed brick adorning the inside of her home is from the original schoolhouse from Rehoboth Avenue.) “I don’t know what young people do now, but back then we had [local hangouts] Snyder’s in Rehoboth, Traders in Lewes and The Crystal in Georgetown.” In 11th grade she met her husband, Charles Cole, who was a lifeguard, “right on the Boardwalk in front of Dollie’s,” she smiled. They married in 1942, and together had 3 sons, 9 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. “I’m quitting Christmas gifts,” she laughed.
I’ve never been afraid to speak up…and I still have a lot to say.”
Reflecting on how Rehoboth has changed, “It used to be so quiet; only visitors from the north or people coming by boat. There was no ferry or bridge here, and it was full of pine trees, it was gorgeous,” she smiled nostalgically. “There were only 500 people in the wintertime.” She explained that downtown Rehoboth had large stores and all the amenities. “We had Acme, 3 doctors’ offices in town, a movie theatre and even a bowling alley on the boardwalk,” Kitty said. “From Dollies to Henlopen were mostly private homes.” She also explained that the Rt 1 highway, from Rehoboth to Lewes was basically 3 farms and “a lot of cows,” she laughed. “And Dewey Beach was just sand—when I first learned to drive, I got stuck in the sand there!” Kitty explained that there used to be a pavilion at the end of each street in Rehoboth, a swimming pier jutting out into the ocean on Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk was 5 feet above the sand.
In the 1970s, Kitty obtained her real estate license and had her own brokerage, “but that’s not really what I’m most proud of,” she said. Instead, it was her political crusades to change local policy and law. “I’ve never been afraid to speak up…and I still have a lot to say,” she said with a Cheshire smile. She relayed how in the 1950’s she petitioned the state to stop spraying DDT pesticides. “They used to have planes drop it over the area for mosquitoes, and I hated thinking children on the Boardwalk were being covered with chemicals,” she said.
Later in the 1980’s she advocated for children regarding bus safety. Her family witnessed a child killed by a car when getting off the bus. “I couldn’t ever let that go, so I spent 10 years going back and forth with Dover,” she said, to require a Stop-Arm be installed on all school buses statewide. In 1986 it passed.
Kitty was also the first woman to serve on the Sussex County Council, replacing her husband after his death, who ran from 1975 -1986. She was succeeded by her son, George Cole, who held the position for 32 years, meaning her family held an unbroken position on the county council for 44 years. As an ode to that legacy, Rehoboth Beach officials issued a proclamation stating that July 7 would forevermore be “Kitty T. Cole Day.”
Recently, Kitty has taken on more of an environmentalist role and is currently writing letters to the Rehoboth Beach Council about Lake Gerar. “It has an overgrown, oversized 20 ft. buffer that keeps out the wildlife. That lake has been neglected by the city and SOLA3,” she said. (Save Our Lakes Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the lake). “Also, I’ve noticed the city taking down trees and not replacing them—they’re supposed to be doing that,” Kitty explained. Her tenacity has not waned with age.
Her words of wisdom to staying healthy at 101 years old: “Everything in moderation. Stay Active. Eat Organic—I never even wanted my husband to spray our garden. Oh, and if I ever had the chance, I always ordered a vegetable platter,” she said with a wink.
