January 08, 2016
Gustave C. Coté: He died a happy man and living a meaningful life
By Vicki-Ann Downing
Gustave C. Coté ’62Hon., whose $500,000 gift to the new Arthur and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies was announced by Providence College in November, died Dec. 18, 2015, at Rhode Island Hospital. He was 92.
In recognition of the gift, the College will name the accounting and finance instructional laboratory off the building’s atrium for Mr. Coté and his wife, Rita (Grodin) Coté, who died in 2009. The new business center is under construction at the site of Dore Hall, a former residence hall, and is expected to open in 2017.
Mr. Coté began teaching at PC in 1952. He was named assistant professor in 1955, associate professor in 1959, and professor in 1965. He served as vice chair of the business administration department from 1969-1973 and as chair from 1973-1978. From 1962-1965, he was on leave to work for Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery, an international accounting firm that now is PricewaterhouseCoopers. During that time, he earned his C.P.A. certificate.
Mr. Coté was named professor emeritus of business administration upon his retirement in 1989. His lifelong generosity to PC included gifts for construction of the Smith Center for the Arts and St. Dominic Chapel. He also maintained ties to his former students, many of whom reached out last year to thank him for his gift to the business school.
Mr. Coté loved hearing from them but never sought recognition for his generosity, and even had to be persuaded to allow the College to announce his gift during his lifetime, said his longtime friend and colleague, Joseph A. Gemma ’75 & ’77G, assistant professor of management and assistant dean of undergraduate studies.
The School of Business compiled the thank-you messages in a blog. A typical one came from George Brown ’59: “Thank you, Mr. Coté, for your gift to PC. You always had the best interests of your students. May God continue to bless you. I thank you for the years you taught me in the accounting and tax courses.”
Mr. Coté was born in Woonsocket, R.I., and graduated from Mount Saint Charles Academy there. He served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He graduated from La Salle University in 1951 and received an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1952.
Among his many professional activities, he was a past president of the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants, a member of the American Accounting Association, and a longtime member of the PC Faculty Senate.
In 1989, PC’s National Alumni Association honored Mr. Coté with its Faculty-Staff Award. He also received the William McDonnell Award for unselfish service to the College from the alumni organization’s Greater Providence Chapter, known as the Mal Brown Club. Faculty held a roast in 1981 to raise money for a scholarship award in his name. Each spring, the Gustave C. and Rita A. Coté Business Accounting Award is given to the graduating senior who has completed the accountancy program, demonstrated service to others, and participated in extracurricular activities.
After Mr. Coté’s death, Gemma found the following note, written in Mr. Coté’s hand, among his personal papers:
“Gus’ obituary should read: ‘He died a happy man and lived a meaningful life. Besides loving his wife very much, he loved accounting, he loved teaching, and he loved Providence College. What more can the man ask for? He taught accounting at Providence College! God is good.’”
The funeral was private for Mr. Coté, who is survived by many nieces and nephews. A memorial Mass was celebrated on Jan. 27 in St. Dominic Chapel on campus.
Donations to the School of Business in Mr. Coté’s memory may be made to Providence College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 1 Cunningham Square, Providence, R.I. 02918-0001.
