December 12, 2008

Sound Whiz Bill Cole Passes

Two-Time Emmy Winner


Sound Whiz Bill Cole Passes

Two-Time Emmy Winner

Bill Cole, a sound engineer who worked on several television variety shows, died December 12, 2008. He was 90.

A graduate of Vocation High School in Syracuse, Cole began his career at radio station WOLF and later worked at WAGE (now WHEN).

While serving in the Army, he met and later married, his wife, Arlette Schweitzer. After moving to California in 1948, he went to work for NBC Studios in Burbank.

Among the stars Cole worked with were Andy Williams, Dinah Shore, Jerry Lewis, Mitzi Gaynor, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Jon Davidson.

Cole received seven Primetime Emmy nominations during his career, and won two — in 1967, for Individual Achievements in Electronic Production, for CBS’s Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, and in 1970, for Individual Achievement in Live or Tape Sound Mixing, for NBC’s The Switched-On Symphony.

In addition, Cole developed new sound technology. Time magazine published an article about Cole’s invention of the sound mixing board, which is still in use today.

Cole retired in 1985.

He is survived by his wife, five children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.





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