Cardy Raper
Carlene Allen "Cardy" Raper (January 9, 1925 - September 5, 2019) was an American mycologist and science writer.[1] She identified that certain species of mushroom bearing fungi have over 23,000 mating types. She is regarded as one of the first women taxonomists in mycology.[2] She was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Cardy Raper | |
---|---|
Born | January 9, 1925 |
Died | September 5, 2019 (aged 94) |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Chicago University of Vermont |
Spouse(s) | Red Raper |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Harvard University University of Vermont |
Academic advisors | Red Raper |
Early life and education
Raper wanted to be a scientist from the age of eight.[3] She earned a Masters in science at the University of Chicago in 1946.[4][5] She worked on Achlya and Schizophyllum commune.[6] She married her college supervisor, John (Red) Raper in 1949.[7] She earned her PhD in 1977.
Career
Raper worked alongside her husband, Red Raper, on the mating-type mutants of Schizophyllum.[6] Her husband was Chair of the Biology Department at Harvard University when he died in 1974.[8][9] After this, Cardy Raper began her formal career in science, working at Harvard University as a researcher and lecturer from 1974.[10] She worked in the Netherlands at the University of Hagen with Jos Wessels.[6] In 1978 she joined Wellesley College as an Assistant Professor.[10] After spending the summer of 1982 working with Bob Ullrich at the University of Vermont, she decided to move there.[11] In 1983 she set up her own independent research laboratory the University of Vermont.[10][12] She remained there as an Emeritus Professor after her retirement in 1994. Raper identified that the Schizophyllum commune had more than 23,000 mating types.[6] In 2008 there was a celebration of her contributions to science.[13] In 2012 she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[14][15]
In 2017 she spoke at the Burlington Writers Workshop.[16] Her son, Jonathan Raper, is a Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Pennsylvania.[17] She and Red Raper also had a daughter, Linda.[5] Carlene Allen Raper (Cardy) passed away after a brief illness at her summer home in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, on September 5, 2019 at the age of 94.
References
- "In Memory of Carlene Allen "Cardy" Raper, 1925 – 2019". Burlington Writers Workshop. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- Maroske, Sara; May, Tom W. (2018-03-01). "Naming names: the first women taxonomists in mycology". Studies in Mycology. 89: 63–84. doi:10.1016/j.simyco.2017.12.001. ISSN 0166-0616. PMC 6002341. PMID 29910514.
- "Cardy Raper". Vermont Press. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "The Maroon Loyalty Society Honor Roll". Alumni Association: Alumni, Parents, Families & Friends. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- Cardy., Raper. A woman of science : an extraordinary journey of love, discovery, and the sex life of mushrooms. [Hobart, New York]. ISBN 9781578264421. OCLC 841037522.
- "Woman of Science – an interview with Cardy Raper". Mushroom. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "Amazon.com: Cardy Raper: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "Dr. John Raper of Harvard Dies; Expert on Fungi Reproduction". Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "John Raper Dies at 62; Was Bio Dept. Chairman | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "About the Author | Cardy Raper". cardyraper.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "Mycological Society of America 1982 Newsletter" (PDF). Mycological Society of America. 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- Vermont, University of. "Catalogue 2011-12 : University of Vermont". www.uvm.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "University of Vermont: Summer Newsletter 2008" (PDF). University of Vermont. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "University of Vermont Summer Newsletter" (PDF). University of Vermont. 2013. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- "AAAS Members Elected as Fellows". AAAS - The World's Largest General Scientific Society. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- RETN (2018-01-17), Cardy Raper: Stories by the Fire 2017, retrieved 2018-07-22
- "Jonathan A. Raper, Ph.D. – Cell and Developmental Biology @ U Penn". cdb.med.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- Cardy., Raper (2016-04-22). American harvest : how one family moved from dirt -poor farming to a better life in the early 1900s. Brattleboro, Vermont. ISBN 978-0996267625. OCLC 928488854.