John Cole, a contemporary of Rachel Carson, was a pioneer environmental journalist who opened a regional debate on industrial pollution. Author of 13 books, his book on the endangered striper fish strongly influenced Sen. John Chaffee of Rhode Island to introduce legislation for restoration of the species.
A veteran of the Army Air Corps, Cole served during World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, then returned to Yale to finish his higher education. He was a prolific writer for New England newspapers and magazines, founder of the Maine Times and the World Paper, and editor at several Maine newspapers, including The Times Record.
Among Cole’s awards were the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Outdoor Life Award for Environmental Writing, which was presented to him by President Jimmy Carter.
He also served as an adjunct professor at Bowdoin College.
Cole died in January 2003.
“As a remembrance of John Cole’s lifelong dedication to young writers and their aspirations for the future, publisher Nancy E. Randolph of Just Write Books proposed the John N. Cole Award with a prize of $200 to the winner during the 2011 awards celebration,” a release from Randolph states. “The Cole family, especially Jean Cole, his widow, has generously increased the award to $1,000 in honor of John.”
The winner of the John Cole Award for Maine-themed nonfiction will be revealed at a presentation sponsored by Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Glickman Library on the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine. The finalists are Carl Little for “Eric Hopkins: Above and Beyond,” “Elizabeth Peavey for “Glorious Slow Going” and Kathy Scott Brook for “Trout Forest.”
Just Write Books will also republish Cole’s “LifeList” in a soft cover edition. It will be available July 1. The work is a compilation of essays about his encounters with certain species of birds and what he learned from the experiences. “LifeList” was first published by Downeast in 1996.
For more information on the 2012 Maine Literary Awards, call 228-8263 or visit info@mainewriters.org.
To contact Randolph at Just Write Books, call 729-3600 or email jstwrite@jstwrite.com.
news@timesrecord.com
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