By Gloria Lesher

Cora Cole-McFadden

Cora Cole-McFadden
Cora Cole-McFadden is a familiar face all over Durham. As a dedicated city council member and Durham City Government retiree, she is passionate about her city and her work. Cole-McFadden says she was "blessed to be born in the greatest city on earth—Durham." 

Durham's first African-American female Mayor Pro Tem, Cole-McFadden is an attractive woman with an infectious laugh and a humble soul. She grew up in the West Durham community of Brookstown, a close-knit and supportive neighborhood wiped out by the construction of the Durham Freeway (NC 147). The youngest of seven children, Cole-McFadden looks back on her youth and reflects, “I attribute who I am today to the nurturing environment of Brookstown.”

She reminisces about her own small part in the history that unfolded in the 1960s. She attended Hillside High School for two years, then volunteered to be among the first African-American students ever to attend Durham High School, which was not integrated at that time. “It took some courage,” she admits.

Cole-McFadden graduated from Durham High but still attends reunions for Hillside High to honor those old friendships. She earned a B.A. in Business Education and an M.A. in Counseling/Sociology from North Carolina Central University.

Today she is among those many baby boomers who have “retired”—but not really—and describes how throughout her career as a City Government employee, she volunteered for community organizations. Cole-McFadden has served on the Board of Directors for the YWCA, the North Carolina Symphony and the Volunteer Service Bureau. She has donated time to the Democratic Party, the NAACP, the Durham Community Martin Luther King Steering Committee, and the National and North Carolina League of Cities.

Through her community involvement and efforts providing transportation of citizens to the polls, Cole-McFadden met many people who encouraged her to run for city council. In 2001, when she was elected, Durham had just reduced the number of city council members from 12 to six, because “A smaller council would be more effective and easier to work with.”

Cole-McFadden was named Mayor Pro Tem in 2003, with one dissenting vote. In 2005 the vote for her was unanimous. “I do a lot of greeting and welcoming, and I represent the mayor at functions he cannot attend,” she explains.

Of her work on the city council, she continues, “I enjoy helping people resolve issues. The other part I love about being a council member is helping our youth, making sure we have valuable programs and activities in place. Whenever new projects arise, I am the first one to ask, ‘What kind of space is provided for the young people?’ I fought recently for a basketball court to keep our kids from having to play in the streets. I only got a half court, but it will be built this year.”

Interim Director Tom Ayers, a board member of Keep Durham Beautiful, presents Cora Cole-McFadden with an honorary road adoption sign.

Cole-McFadden serves as Sunday School Superintendent at West Durham Baptist Church, where she is a choir member. “I love to sing,” she adds. She related an incident about a girlfriend's family reunion. When Cole-McFadden arrived, she saw her name on the reunion program. She hadn't known until that moment that she would be singing at the event, but “It was fine with me,” she admits.

With high respect for William V. (Bill) Bell, the current mayor of Durham, she says, “Bill Bell is an extraordinary leader. Folks are always asking me if I would ever run for mayor. But I won't run as long as Bill is mayor.”

Cole-McFadden is often asked, “Cora, where do you get all your energy?” Her response: “I really don't know. I just recognize that my purpose on earth is not about me, it's about helping others. God gives me the strength to do whatever needs to be done.”

She picks up litter while walking around her neighborhood. One neighbor jokingly asked if the task was part of her job description. The story got around, and Solid Waste Management Interim Director Tom Ayers, who is also a board member of Keep Durham Beautiful, presented Cole-McFadden with an honorary neighborhood adoption sign. She enjoyed a good laugh over this presentation, but her efforts to inspire residents to take responsibility for their community are sincere.

She says, “The neighborhood is where we shape our children to be good citizens, or not-so-good citizens. I do all I can to make sure it's the former.”

Gloria Lesher, a writer living in the Triangle, covers baby boomer lifestyles. Contact her at gloria@lesher.net.