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Welmers (William E.) papers
LSC.1304
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: William Everett Welmers papers
Creator:
Welmers, William Everett, 1916-1988
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1304
Physical Description:
8.4 Linear Feet
(16 boxes, 1 oversize box)
Date (inclusive): 1944-1980
Abstract: William Everett Welmers (1916-1988) was
a professor of linguistics and African languages at UCLA, becoming emeritus professor in
1982. His publications include
Igbo: a learner's
dictionary
(1968),
African language
structures
(1973), and
A grammar of Vai
(1976). The collection consists of Welmers' professional papers, including tape recordings,
research materials and notes, printed and manuscript writings, data, word lists, manuals,
vocabulary notes, and papers by students and colleagues. The material reflects the
relationship between his linguistic research and missionary activities, including
information on aspects of linguistics, Central and Southern African history, classification
of African languages, and specific African languages such as Igbo, Kpelle, Lugbara, and
Yoruba.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access
special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on
this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Portions of collection unprocessed. Audiovisual materials are unavailable for access.
Please contact Special Collections reference (spec-coll@library.ucla.edu) for more
information.
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All
other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not
hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], William Everett Welmers papers (Collection 1304). UCLA Library
Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los
Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Professor William E. Welmars, 1982.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make
them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and
resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level
of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts
more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to
national and local standards and best practices.
Processed by Nancy Korman and Barbara Orbach, Graduate School of Library and Information
Science. Processed by Manuscipts Division staff.
Encoded by ByteManagers using OAC finding aid conversion service specifications. Encoding
supervision and revision by Caroline Cubé.
Edited by Josh Fiala, September 2004.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
4233980
Welmers was born on April 4, 1916 in Orange City, Iowa; AB, Hope College, 1936; ThB and Th,
Westminster Theological Seminary, 1939; Ph.D, University of Pennsylvania, 1943; member,
Lutheran Mission, Liberia, 1946-48 and 1954-55; linguistic research in Africa as fellow in
the American Council of Learned Societies, 1948-50; visiting assistant professor of
linguistics (1950-51) and acting associate professor (1951-54), Cornell University;
associate professor, Kennedy School Missions, Hartford Seminary Foundation, 1955-60; in 1960
became professor of linguistics and African languages at UCLA, becoming emeritus professor
in 1982; publications include
Igbo: a learner's
dictionary
(1968),
African language
structures
(1973), and
A grammar of Vai
(1976); he died in 1988.
| 1916 | Born on April 4 in Orange City, Iowa. |
| 1936 | Graduated summa cum laude from Hope College in Holland, Michigan with a B.A.; majored in philosophy. |
| 1939 | Graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with ThB and ThM degrees. |
| 1940 | On June 21 married Beatrice Faye Fairbanks. |
| 1943 | Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Ph.D. |
| 1943 | Became pastor of the Knox Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
| 1943-1946 | Taught Chinese and Japanese languages to the United States Army's specialized training program. |
| 1946-1948 | Engaged in linguistic research and missionary work at the Lutheran Mission, Liberia. |
| 1948-1950 | Fellow in the American Council of Learned Societies. In this capacity engaged in linguistic research in what was then French West Africa, the Gold Coast, Dahomey, Nigeria and Eritrea. Drove from the westernmost to the easternmost point of Africa with his wife and children -- first family to drive from west to east Africa. |
| 1950-1954 | Assistant professor of linguistics and later associate professor of linguistics at Cornell University. |
| 1954-1955 | Returned to Liberia to work with Lutheran Mission. |
| 1955-1960 | Associate professor of linguistics at Kennedy School Missions, Hartford Seminary Foundation. |
| 1959 | Consultant to the U.S. Office of Education. |
| 1960-1982 | Professor of linguistics and African languages at the University of California, Los Angeles. |
| 1967 | Honored with Litt. D. by Hope College. |
| 1972 | Involved in research in Sierra Leone and Liberia. |
| 1982 | In the Fall quarter retired from full-time faculty status at the University of California, Los Angeles; became professor emeritus. |
The previous history was compiled from:
Jacobson, Leon C. "William E. Welmers: A biographical sketch and list of publications" in
Larry M. Hyman, Leon C. Jacobson and Russell G. Schuh's (eds.) Papers In African Linguistics
In Honor Of William E. Welmers, Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 6 (Los Angeles:
University of California, Los Angeles, African Studies Center) pp.vii-ix.
Jaques Cattell Press, ed. Directory of American Scholars. 8th edition. New York: R.R.
Bowker Company, 1982 p.559.
Wilkes, Deborah John. "Professor William Evert Welmers Interviewed." African Studies Center
Newsletter (Fall 1982) pp.3-9.
Who's Who In America, 1982-83. 42nd ed. Chicago, IL: Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated, 1982
p.3522.
Collection consists of professional papers, including tape recordings, research materials
and notes, and printed and manuscript writings of Dr. Welmers, UCLA professor of linguistics
and African languages. Includes data, word lists, manuals, vocabulary notes and other
materials relating to various African languages, including tape recordings of Kpelle lessons
and a card file of English-Vai word translations. Also includes papers by students and
colleagues. The material reflects the relationship between his linguistic research and
missionary activities, including information on aspects of linguistics, Central and Southern
African history, classification of African languages, and specific African languages such as
Igbo, Kpelle, Lugbara, and Yoruba.
William Everett Welmers, retired professor of linguistics and African languages at UCLA,
donated his papers on July 20, 1982, to the Department of Special Collections in the Library
of the University of California, Los Angeles.
The collection consists of the donor's professional papers spanning the years from 1944 to
1980. The papers are open for use without restrictions.
The William E. Welmers collection is comprised primarily of his professional papers,
although products of his personal activities are reflected in Series 1 and his
correspondence. While the papers cover the years 1944-1980, the bulk of the material relates
to activities engaged in during the 1960s and 1970s. The major part of the collection
consists of notes and research materials. This includes data, word lists, and papers by
students and colleagues.
Several items in the collection bear no indication of date. This material is indicated by
n.d. Items contained in each file have been left in their original order to indicate the way
in which Welmers assembled the materials. The titles Welmers assigned to individual files
are indicated in brackets.
Welmers' papers reveal his interest in linguistic principles and a number of African
languages. Moreover, the material reflects the relationship between his linguistic research
and missionary activities. The collection includes information on aspects of linguistics,
Central and Southern African history, classification of African languages, and specific
African languages such as Igbo, Kpelle, Lugbara and Yoruba.
For the most part, Welmers' file arrangement has been retained in establishing the three
series. The first series is comprised of a few personal items, 1961, 1977; n.d. Series 2
contains Welmers' writings, 1944-1978. The last series consists of notes and research
materials including tape recordings of Kpelle lessons, and a card file of English-Vai word
translations.
Arranged in the following series:
- Personal materials.
- Writings by Welmers.
- Notes and research materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Linguists--United States--Archival resources.
African languages.
Manuscripts for publication.
Welmers, William Everett, 1916-1988 -- Archives