Lochie Jo Allen

Along with her sister, Allen was one of two women in the Triple Cities Traction Company Symphonic Band when she was a teenager. She and her sister both played flute and piccolo in the band, the only two women among the 70 musicians in the band.^[1] She also held positions as an organist and choir director and organized and directed a group of professional singers, called "The Holiday Singers", who performed at nursing and retirement homes, civic clubs, jails, and other organizations.^[2]

Allen spent the early part of her career as a teacher for music, language, and world literature at the secondary and college levels. She taught English, Latin, French, German, and music in secondary schools. She also held positions in the English Departments of Augusta College (now Augusta University), American University, and the University of Georgia, teaching not only composition but also American, English, European, Asiatic, and World literatures. She also worked as an Educational Specialist for the U.S. Army at Fort Gordon from 1961-1964.^[2]

Allen joined the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in the mid-1970s.^[1] She is credited with establishing the AFS membership magazine, Fisheries, with AFS Executive Director Carl Sullivan in 1976. She served as the associate editor (now called managing editor) for the magazine from 1976-1983. During her time with AFS, Allen edited over 50 articles.^[1][4] After her retirement, Allen created, published, and distributed a newsletter for retired AFS members called Homo Piscis Rusticus.^[1] Allen was also a member of the panel of the National Society of Technical Communication for judging science publications, and contributed to the Council of Biology Editors Journal.^[2]

AFS established the J. Frances Allen Scholarship in 1986, named for Lochie Jo's older sister who is also regarded as a pioneer for women in fisheries science, to encourage young women pursuing PhDs in the fisheries profession.^[3] It is believed that Lochie Jo advocated to create the scholarship. Lochie Jo contributed financially to the scholarship every year and worked to ensure that it remained a priority of AFS. When she died in 2014, she bequeathed a large portion of her estate to the scholarship.^[1][4]

Allen was elected to the national honor societies Kappa Delta Pi and Pi Gamma Mu, and was the president of Sodalitas Latina.^[2] In 2013, she was honored by the AFS executive director for her work as the first editor of Fisheries, "...along with recognizing the “confidence, devotion, diligence, intelligence, and creativity given in helping the American Fisheries Society obtain this most important milestone.”^[4]