COLES, Robert Reed

COLES, Robert Reed[1]

Male 1907 - 1985  (77 years)

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  • Name COLES, Robert Reed 
    Birth 21 Sep 1907 
    Gender Male 
    Obituary From NY Times 23-Apr-1985

    Robert R. Coles, an astronomer and former chairman of the Hayden Planetarium, and an authority on the history of Long Island, died of a heart attack Saturday at Brattleboro (Vt.) Memorial Hospital. He was 77 years old and lived in Glen Cove, L.I.
    Mr. Coles was chairman of the planetarium from 1951 through 1953. In that period and for many years before, he lectured and presented programs that opened some of the mysteries of the heavens to rapt audiences of children and adults in the planetarium's auditorium at Central Park West and 80th Street.
    One of his most popular displays, presented in July and August of 1952, was a simulated trip on a rocket to the moon, in which spectators watching the planetarium's domed ceiling were whisked a quarter of a million miles through space for a landing at one of the moon's craters.
    Mr. Coles, born in Glen Cove, was a direct descendant of a 1668 settler of the community, which was then known as Musketa Cove. Mr. Coles lived in the original Coles homestead, and he served for many years as Glen Cove's official historian.
    After leaving the planetarium, he wrote widely on the lore and history of Long Island. Among his books were ''The Long Island Indian,'' ''The Geology of Long Island'' and two histories of Glen Cove.
    Mr. Coles attended Columbia University before joining the department of education at the American Museum of Natural History in 1929 as a lecturer on general science.

    He became a lecturer at the planetarium in 1936 and was named associate curator in 1945 after serving three years in the Air Force.
    He was a member of the American Astronomical Society and a Fellow in the Royal Astronomical Society of England.
    Mr. Coles is survived by his wife, the former Edna May Kempsell; two daughters, the Rev. Constance Coles of Manhattan and Meribelle Coles of Brattleboro; two sons, Franklin A. Coles of Milan, N.Y., and R. Reed Coles Jr. of Springfield, Mass., and three grandchildren.
    A funeral service will be held at 11 A.M. today at the Friends Quaker Meeting in Matinecock, L.I.  [2
    Occupation Chairman of the Hayden Planetarium 
    Death 20 Apr 1985  [2
    Burial 23 Apr 1985  Friends Burying Ground, Matinecock, Nassau, NY, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I3634  Hugh Byrne and Nanette Asimov Lines
    Last Modified 6 Apr 2018 

    Father COLES, Franklin Albert,   b. 25 Aug 1861   d. 10 Aug 1943 (Age 81 years) 
    Mother REID, Caroline Sarah   d. 24 Dec 1929, Glen Cove, Nassau, New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage 6 Sep 1906  Peekskill, Westchester, NY, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Family ID F2533  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family KEMPSELL, Edna May 
    Children 
     1. COLES, Constance Carolyn
     2. COLES, Meribelle
     3. COLES, Franklin A
     4. COLES, R Reed
    Family ID F2565  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 6 Apr 2018 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBurial - 23 Apr 1985 - Friends Burying Ground, Matinecock, Nassau, NY, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos
    Robert Coles
    Robert Coles
    Robert Coles, about 1927-28

  • Sources 
    1. [S405] William Wade Hinshaw, (1940, Ann Arbor, MI), p. 403: Ch: (of Franklin & Caroline) Robert Reed b 9-21-1907 / Caroline recrq 9-14-1910; Robert R recrq 6-15-1913.

    2. [S692] ROBERT COLES, L.I. HISTORIAN AND EX-CHIEF OF PLANETARIUM.

    3. [S405] William Wade Hinshaw, (1940, Ann Arbor, MI), p. 403: Franklin Albert, s Isaac & Mary W., both dec, b 8-24-1861; m 9-6-1906 at J.H. Reed’s Peekskill, Caroline Sarah REED, dt. Jas. Harvey & Sarah Frances, Peekskill, d 12-24-1929 G.C.



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