A former Ohio University student added a Pulitzer Prize to her list of accomplishments this week - capping off a month full of awards for her photography of conflicts throughout the world.
The Pulitzer organization awarded Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times the prize in feature photography Monday for her cohesive
behind-the-scenes look at the effects of civil war in Liberia with special attention to innocent citizens caught in the conflict.
Terry Eiler, director of OU's School of Visual Communication, said Cole's talent was evident early. Cole completed work for her master's degree through VisCom during the mid-1980s, except for one part of her master's project: a slide show.
I'm hoping Terry Eiler will let me finish it up at some point Cole said.
Cole said she spent 11 months of last year traveling for the Times. Part of that travel included two months in Liberia starting in July - arriving straight from Baghdad, where she had been since February.
I've covered Kosovo and Afghanistan and Iraq but (Liberia) was the first time I had seen heavy street fighting
Cole said.
During the conflict, a group of rebels worked their way toward the capital of the country to oust former President Charles Taylor. Confused civilians headed there too, believing it was the only safe place to go, and were caught in between, she said.
Cole said some media outlets would not allow their reporters to stay in Liberia.
I was very fortunate. I've been working for the L.A. Times for 10 years now. They trust my judgment
she said.
Cole has received many prestigious awards in the last few weeks, Eiler said. In addition to the Pulitzer, Cole was named Newspaper Photographer of the Year in the Missouri School of Journalism's Pictures of the Year International competition, as well as the National Press Photographer Association's competition.
Cole said her classes in Athens helped hone her skills. It definitely prepared me for my first job
she said.
Two finalists in the Pulitzer Prize photography categories also attended OU, Eiler said. Patrick Tehan of the San Jose Mercury News, nominated for his coverage of the California recall election, received his bachelor's degree from OU in the 1970s, and Chris Hondros of Getty Images, honored for his coverage of the Liberian civil war, completed most of the work required for a master's degree in the early 1990s.
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