Pearl Cole is a lifelong resident and caretaker of the Chapel Hill community. She was a student at Orange County Training School in the 1950s and graduated from Lincoln High School. She fondly remembers her teachers and mentors at both institutions. Ms. Cole was taught by her parents to help other people whenever possible, and has taken that lesson to heart throughout her life. In the 1970s she began devoting herself to being a friend and ally for nursing home residents. She often collected donations for folks in the nursing homes who didn't have any family nearby.
Ms. Pearl Cole remembers the May Pole celebrations at OCTS:
Ms. Cole learned to be a helper from her parents:
Interviews conducted by Danita Mason-Hogans at Chapel Hill Public Library, 2019