Darcelle XV

Darcelle XV
Darcelle at Portland's Keller Fountain Park for the city's 2012 "Pedalpalooza" bike ride
Born	Walter Cole 1930
Residence	Portland, Oregon
Nationality	American
Known for	Oldest female impersonator on the West Coast of the United States
Notable work	Just Call Me Darcelle
Home town	Portland, Oregon
Partner(s)	Roxy Neuhardt (1969–present)
Children	2
Awards	Spirit of Portland Award

Walter Cole (born 1930), better known as Darcelle XV, is a drag queen in Portland, Oregon, United States. Cole was raised in the Linnton neighborhood and served in the military until the late 1950s, after which he lived a "conventional" life in southeast Portland with his wife and two children. Funds he received from the military helped Cole start new business ventures. He first purchased a coffeehouse near Portland State University called Caffé Espresso, which later relocated and was expanded to include a jazz club called Studio A. In 1967, Cole purchased a tavern in northwest Portland called Demas, which became Darcelle XV Showplace.

Cole first wore a woman's dress at age 37. By 1969, he had developed the "alter ego" Darcelle and came out as gay. He left his wife and began a relationship with Roxy Neuhardt. During the 1970s, the Showplace became a popular destination for drag performance. In 1999, Darcelle became the oldest female impersonator on the West Coast after the closing of San Francisco's drag venue Finocchio's. In 2010, Darcelle served as grand marshal of the Portland Rose Festival's Starlight Parade and received the city's Spirit of Portland Award. That same year, Cole and Sharon Knorr published his memoir, Just Call Me Darcelle; Knorr also served as director of Cole's 2010 one-person show of the same name.

Cole was born in 1930 and lived in Linnton, Portland, Oregon during his childhood. His young personality has been described as a shy, "four-eyed sissy boy". Cole was discharged from the military in the late 1950s following the Korean War, after which he lived a "conventional" life in southeast Portland with his wife and two children. Cole worked at a Fred Meyer store and described himself as having "a crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses". With $5,000 he received from the military at the time of his discharge, Cole purchased a coffeehouse near Portland State University called Caffé Espresso. He later moved the coffeehouse to Southwest Third and Clay, expanding the basement to include a late-night jazz club called Studio A. Urban renewal caused Cole to sell his business. In 1967, $5,000 in urban renewal compensation provided a down payment on a tavern called Demas, located on Northwest Third and Davis. Cole would turn Demas into Darcelle XV Showplace.