Biography
Scope and Content
Access
Processing Information
Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Publication Rights
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Samuel G. Armistead Papers
Creator:
Armistead, Samuel G., 1927-2013
Identifier/Call Number: D-580
Physical Description:
133 linear feet
Date (inclusive): circa 1955-2011
Abstract: The Samuel G. Armistead Papers includes Armistead's research and teaching materials, unpublished lectures, and correspondence.
The collection includes a significant number of recordings and associated transcriptions of ballads, narratives, and riddles
collected by Armistead and his collaborators in the field. Also present is a group of materials from fellow scholar Joanne
Purcell.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Language of Material:
English
.
Biography
Samuel Gordon Armistead (1927-2013) was Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Davis from 1982
to 2010. Dr. Armistead was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he spent his early years. He attended Princeton University,
where he received his Ph.D. in Spanish literature and Romance languages in 1955. From 1953 to 1982, Dr. Armistead taught at
a variety of institutions, beginning with Princeton, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles (1956-1967), Purdue
University (1967-1968), and the University of Pennsylvania (1968-1982). He joined the faculty of UC Davis in 1982.
During his career, Samuel Armistead conducted extensive fieldwork in North Africa, the Middle East, the United States, and
Europe collecting stories, ballads, poetry, and riddles, with particular attention to traditions of Sephardic folklore. He
wrote or contributed to more than thirty books and over 500 articles. Notable among these works is the "Folk Literature of
the Sephardic Jews" series, produced in concert with scholars Joseph H. Silverman and Israel J. Katz. Many of the recordings
made for this work are available at http://www.sephardifolklit.org . Dr. Armistead was also greatly interested in the rapidly
disappearing language of the Isleños of Louisiana, a community largely descended from settlers from the Canary Islands.
Dr. Armistead retired from UC Davis in 2010 and remained active in research and writing until his death in 2013.
Selected Awards and Honors:
1999: Antonio Nebrija award, University of Salamanca
2009: Made a corresponding member of the Real Academia Española
2010: Honorary doctorate, Universidad de Alcalá (Madrid)
Sources:
Cook, Bonnie L. "Samuel G. Armistead, Spanish scholar" http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-19/news/41422822_1_uc-davis-samuel-g-biography.
Accessed 10 October 2016.
Hamilton, Michelle M. " 'Adio Kerido' In Memoriam: Samuel G. Armistead, 1927–2013". https://muse.jhu.edu/article/537914. Accessed
10 October 2016.
Jones, Dave. "IN MEMORIAM: Sam Armistead, leading scholar of Spanish literature and language". https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/memoriam-sam-armistead-leading-scholar-spanish-literature-and-language.
Accessed 10 October 2016.
UC Davis Department of Spanish and Portuguese, "Samuel Gordon Armistead Aug. 21, 1927-Aug. 7, 2013". http://spanish.ucdavis.edu/en/news/samuel-gordon-armistead-aug-21-1927-aug-7-2013?destination=node/258.
Accessed 10 October 2016.
Scope and Content
The Samuel G. Armistead Papers includes Armistead's research and teaching materials, unpublished lectures, and correspondence.
The collection includes a significant number of recordings and associated transcriptions of ballads, narratives, and riddles
collected by Armistead and his collaborators in the field. Also present is a group of materials from fellow scholar Joanne
Purcell.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Liz Phillips processed this collection and created and encoded the finding aid with the help of student assistants Monica
Doan, Robyn Lam, and Julie Jeon.
Jason Sarmiento, Michelle Trujillo, Vanessa Cardona Ocegueda, and Toby Chao processed boxes 107 to 141. Jason Sarmiento re-processed
and created item-level inventories of boxes 9-29 (Joanne Purcell sound recordings).
Box 109 originally consisted of medieval manuscripts, and was renumbered to box 142.
Acquisition
Gift of Annie L. Armistead, 2014-2015.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Samuel G. Armistead Papers, D-580, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University
of California, Davis.
Publication Rights
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ballads, Ladino -- Research
Folklore -- Spain -- Louisiana
Isleños -- Folklore
Armistead, Samuel G., 1927-2013 -- Archives
Purcell, Joanne B. -- Archives
University of California, Davis -- Faculty -- Archives