Raelyn Cole

Raelyn Cole (née Annon; September 6, 1935 - December 17, 2015) was an American editor, mountaineer, and outdoorswoman. She served as the long-time managing editor for the journal Limnology and Oceanography for the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

Early life and education

Raelyn Annon was born in Wisconsin to parents Walter and Gladys Annon on September 6, 1935.[1][2]

She met her husband, Dale Cole, at the University of Wisconsin’s outdoor club, the Wisconsin Hoofers, where their shared passion for the outdoors brought them together. She and Dale had four boys. She was known to colleagues and friends by her nickname, "Lyn." An enthusiastic sailor, she was the owner of a 50-foot schooner.[3]

As a mountaineer and skier, Cole climbed Mount Rainier twice and climbed mountains throughout New Zealand, Canada, Italy, and the United States.[4] During their outdoor adventures, Cole and her family designed new camping and climbing equipment when they were unhappy with the commercially available options. Their designs included a sleeping bag, tent, ice picket, accessory strap, snowshoes, and a backpack.[5]

Career

Cole initially started a degree in engineering at the University of Wisconsin, but received failing grades for a course twice in a row because women were not permitted to become engineers in that college at the time.[3] She subsequently obtained a Bachelor's degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin. She later obtained a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington, where she also earned a teaching certificate, though she decided she would never become a teacher.[3]

Cole worked with Harvey Manning on his book Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills,[6] a book for aspiring mountain climbers. Manning was so impressed with her editing abilities that he recommended her to be the managing editor of the journal Limnology and Oceanography for the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, whose office was then located on the University of Washington campus.[3]

Raelyn Cole served as managing Editor of Limnology and Oceanography from 1965 to 1996.[7][4] Her colleagues and family members describe her as a dedicated editor. In the words of colleague Peter Jumars,

"Editing for her was a part of her fabric, a piece of her human nature, an obsession should you wish."[4]

Awards and legacy

In 1996, Cole was recognized with the Tommy and Yvette Edmondson Distinguished Service Award (then called the ASLO Distinguished Service Award).[4][8][9]

Cole passed away on December 17, 2015 at age 80. Her husband Dale was so taken by the response of the aquatic science publishing community that he sought a more permanent way to honor her contributions. Working with the leadership of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, he established the Raelyn Cole Editorial Fellowship Fund, matched by ASLO. This fund created one of the first early career editorial fellowships in the aquatic sciences community.[8]

Raelyn Cole is also remembered by the Dale & Raelyn Cole Hoofer Student Leader Training Fund hosted by the University of Wisconsin Foundation which supports the university’s mountaineering, sailing, and outing clubs.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1: Raelyn A Cole". Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ↑ "United States Social Security Numerical Identification Files (Numident), 1936-2007: Raelyn Annon / Raelyn Cole". National Reference Center, Social Security Administration.
  3. 1 2 3 4 'Cole, Dale (May 16, 2026). "Introduction by Dale Cole & Susanne Menden-Deuer". EP006 A Decade of Insights with the Raelyn Cole Editorial Fellowship: Exploring Equity, Open Access, and Innovation in Scientific Publishing. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: ASLO-SIL.
  4. 1 2 3 4 'Jumars, Peter A. (2016). "A Tribute to Raelyn Cole, Managing Editor of L&O (1965–1996)". Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin. 25: 21–22. doi:10.1002/lob.10090'.
  5. ↑ Cole, Dale (2025). "The Rest of the Story". Summit Journal. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ The Mountaineers (2017). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1680510027.
  7. ↑ "Front Matter / Masthead". Limnology and Oceanography. 20 (1). Wiley / Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. 1975. JSTOR 2835151.
  8. 1 2 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). "Raelyn Cole Editorial Fellowship". aslo.org. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Tommy and Yvette Edmondson Distinguished Service Award: Raelyn Cole (1996)". Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ University of Wisconsin Foundation. "Dale & Raelyn Cole Hoofer Student Leader Training Fund". Cole - Hoofer Training Fund - Day of the Badger. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
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