Dick Cole Ball Corp. and Metro Corp. designs collection

Richard "Dick" Cole is a long-time Muncie resident with a professional and personal investment in glass jars, especially those made by Ball Corporation. In 1971, Cole was hired at Ball Corporation as an environmental engineer. Around the time of his hiring, glass jar collecting was becoming popular, and Cole himself began to collect and study Ball jars in his personal time. During his time at Ball Corp., Cole became an authority on the subject of glass jars, and he collaborated frequently with other local glass jar enthusiasts such as Richard Roller and Philip Robinson. When Ball Corp. moved its headquarters to Boulder, Colorado in 1998, Cole chose to stay in Muncie after 27 years with the company. Not long after his departure from Ball, Cole became curator of industrial and business history at Minnetrista Cultural Center. Although Cole has since retired from Minnetrista, he still remains involved with the community of glass jar enthusiasts and collectors. He is a member of the Midwest Angique Fruit Jar and Bottle Club and continues to give speeches and interviews on the subject of glass jar collecting.