After her early childhood years in
Wells, British Columbia, Kathleen Margaret Cole moved with her family to
West Vancouver. At the
University of British Columbia (UBC). she graduated in biology with a B.A. in 1947 and an M.A. in 1948.' Her M.A. thesis is entitled
A study of a possible new mutation, synpalpi, occurring in Drosophila melanogaster. She matriculated as a graduate student in genetics at
Smith College. There she completed in 1952 her Ph.D. in plant genetics under the supervision of
Albert F. Blakeslee. Kathleen M. Cole spent her career at UBC. She joined the department of biology and botany in 1952 as a lecturer and was eventually promoted to full professor. of the 1990 book
Biology of the Red Algae. The book is an important authoritative reference and survey of research from 1973 to 1989 on the phylum
Rhodophyta. The book was reissued in 2011. She was excellent as a contralto singer. During her years as a UBC student, she performed in many concerts and in Vancouver on radio broadcasts. As a UBC faculty member, she was active in the university's Music Society. ==Selected publications==