Darcelle XV (born November 16, 1930), is the stage name of Walter W.
Cole, a drag queen, entertainer and cabaret owner and operator in
Portland, Oregon, United States,Guinness World Records has certified
her as the oldest drag queen performer on the West Coast, and her
career as an entertainer spans 51 years.Cole was born in 1930 and
raised in the Linnton neighborhood and served in the United States
Armed Forces, and was discharged after the during Korean War in 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 called Caffé Espresso, which later relocated and was
expanded to include a basement jazz club called Studio A. In 1967, due
to urban renewal Cole purchased a tavern in northwest Portland called
Demas, which became Darcelle XV Showplace.
Cole, a drag queen, entertainer and cabaret owner and operator in
Portland, Oregon, United States,Guinness World Records has certified
her as the oldest drag queen performer on the West Coast, and her
career as an entertainer spans 51 years.Cole was born in 1930 and
raised in the Linnton neighborhood and served in the United States
Armed Forces, and was discharged after the during Korean War in 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 called Caffé Espresso, which later relocated and was
expanded to include a basement jazz club called Studio A. In 1967, due
to urban renewal Cole purchased a tavern in northwest Portland called
Demas, which became Darcelle XV Showplace.
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