Beloved anthro instructor dies
By Michelle Zugnoni
The life of LPC anthropology instructor
Flournoy (Toby) Coles will be celebrated at noon today in the
LPC Quad. Coles, who had been ill for some time with cancer,
died May 10 at his home in Oakland. He was 54.
Students and staff will join in tributes to the popular instructor,
and a tree will be planted on campus in his memory. In addition,
students have established an annual scholarship in his name.
A memorial service was held Friday at St. Benedict’s
Catholic Church in Oakland, and Friday night the Valley Jazz
Concert was dedicated to Coles, who was an avid jazz fan.
In his early years, Coles had lived in Sri Lanka, where he
acquired a lifelong love of travel and interest in other cultures.
He received his PhD in cultural anthropology from UC Berkeley.
He leaves his wife Lynn, a dance instructor at Laney College;
and two grown children: a son, Gyasi, and a daughter, Dahli.
Coles was the first full-time anthropology instructor at LPC.
He began teaching here in1990.
Student Cori King remembers Coles “as a wonderful teacher
who taught us all to be color blind, to not believe in stereotypes
about minorities and to treat all races with respect and open-mindedness.
Out of respect to him, I intend to carry out his lessons and
respect and treat all minorities openly and without prejudices.”
His death stunned his students, who had not known of his illness.
Many described him as more than just an instructor; he was, they
said, a mentor, a friend, and a role model.
Some were moved to put their thoughts in writing.
Elizabeth Dorsey, a student from Coles’ Anthropology
5 class, wrote “Mr. Coles was a great man, as well as a
great teacher. He opened my eyes and showed me a way to view
the world. He taught me to have an open mind towards the issues
the world faces and towards all the different people that make
up our world. Toby Coles was not interested in grades and tests,
but rather teaching us about the world, recognizing the problems
within it, and making us want to make them better.”
Student Lanny Mann wrote, “I never met a man so full
of life and love. He seemed to find a way to get a smile out
of you with his words, his expressions, and especially his stories.
I established a friendship with Mr. Coles and I’m glad I
was able to.”