Dick’s passion for photography ignited at age eleven when he first saw a friend’s darkroom print. By twelve, he was selling his own black- and-white photographs door-to-door to businesses in Waterloo.

At just seventeen, Dick became a staff photographer for the Waterloo Daily Courier, where he documented notable acts, including Buddy Holly. He first photographed Holly on April 28, 1958, during the Alan Freed BIG BEAT SHOW, then months later had the opportunity to meet Holly at the Electric Park Ballroom where he took the photo that Maria Elena Holly calls her favorite.

Dick and his wife Pat had five children, four grandchildren and one great grandson. They ran Cole Photography, a portrait studio in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa for over 40 years. Dick was honored at Holly’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2011, ensuring that the legacy of Buddy Holly endures. Dick was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.