Patricia Wakeling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patricia R. Wakeling
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| Born | 1923 |
| Died | 21st September 2016 |
Patricia R. Wakeling (1923–2016) was an important person in the world of science publishing. She received a special award, the Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award, in 1990. This award was from the Optical Society of America (OSA). For 30 years, she was the Managing Editor of a science magazine called Applied Optics. Patricia Wakeling also helped start the first two science magazines for the OSA.
Early Life and Work
Patricia Wakeling, also known as "Paddy," grew up in London, England. She studied chemistry at university. After her studies, she worked at the Office of Naval Research. Later, she spent several years at a company called Pergamon Press. There, she learned how to create and launch new science magazines.
In 1959, Paddy joined the Optical Society of America (OSA). The OSA is a group for scientists who study light and optics. She became their Assistant Secretary. People at OSA knew about her good work at Pergamon Press.
When she joined OSA, Paddy helped create a new magazine called Optics and Spectroscopy. This magazine translated articles from a Russian science magazine. It was important because many American scientists couldn't read Russian. This helped them learn about new discoveries from Russia. Paddy made sure the translations were done quickly and accurately.
Paddy then helped start OSA's second magazine, Applied Optics. This was with an editor named John N. Howard. The first issue of Applied Optics came out in 1962. Paddy was the Managing Editor. She wanted the magazine to have an exciting cover. John Howard later said that Paddy was like a "musical director" for the magazine. She made sure everyone worked together well.
In the 1960s, Paddy left the main OSA office. She started her own company called WINC (Wakeling, Inc). Her company then worked for OSA. They helped with important tasks like checking pages and making schedules for the magazines.
In 1990, the Optical Society of America gave Paddy Wakeling the Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award. This award recognized her many years of hard work for the science community. She worked with OSA for 30 years in different roles.
Paddy retired as Managing Editor of Applied Optics in 1991. However, she kept working as a Contributing Editor. She stayed connected to the science world in Washington, D.C. John Howard wrote an article for her retirement. He joked that it was hard to believe Paddy Wakeling was "mortal." From 1991 to 1993, she wrote a summary called NASA Patter. This summary shared interesting news for optics scientists from NASA Tech Briefs.
Paddy Wakeling also donated a painting to the National Museum of the American Indian. The painting was called Ghost Horse. It was made by Woody Crumbo, a Potawatomi artist. She had received the painting from Mathew Kent Wilson.
People remembered Paddy for her passion and her desire for everything to be perfect. They also remembered that she always spoke her mind.
Death
Patricia Wakeling passed away on September 21, 2016.
