Boller, Paul F.,

Paul F. Boller, Jr. was born on December 31, 1916 in Spring Lake, New Jersey. He received a B.A. degree in 1939 and a Ph.D. in 1947, both from Yale University. He served as a Japanese translator for the U.S. Navy from 1942 through 1946 and then as a civilian analyst for the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. He taught history as a professor at several universities, including Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (1948-1966), the University of Texas at Austin (1963), Queens College in New York (summer of 1964), the University of Massachusetts at Boston (1966-1976), and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas (1976-1983). He published numerous books, the most famous of which was Presidential Anecdotes in 1981.

Dr. Paul F. Boller was born in 1916, lived in Long Island, New York, and attended Yale in 1939. Dr. Boller heard about the Japanese Language School through a friend at Yale and his interest in languages led him to apply to the school. In the fall of 1942 he left Yale and entered the JLS at Boulder, Colorado. After graduating in November of 1943, Dr. Boller was stationed in Pearl Harbor, under the command of "Black Jack" Steele. Boller was then assigned to CinCPac's advanced headquarters on Guam where he found his work to be the most interesting and rewarding in his war time experiences. Boller worked with POW's in translating surrender leaflets for civilians in Japan; the leaflets urged evacuation and warned of impending bombs likely to be dropped in certain cities. Later, Boller interpreted at a formal surrender ceremony on the island of Rota, Marianas. At the end of the war Dr. Boller worked as a civilian analyst in the Far Eastern section of the Navy Department on the Japan and Korea desk, in Washington DC. He received his Ph.D. at Yale in 1947, and then went in the fall of 1948 to teach at SMU in Dallas. Dr. Boller retired Emeritus Professor of History at Texas Christian University in 1983. He has authored numerous books including: Memoirs of an Obscure Professor and Other Essays, Presidential Anecdotes, Presidential Campaigns, and Presidential Wives.

Paul F. Boller (b. 1916) was a professor and writer of history. He taught at several universities, including Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dr. Paul F. Boller was born in 1916, lived in Long Island, New York, and attended Yale in 1939. Dr. Boller heard about the Japanese Language School through a friend at Yale and his interest in languages led him to apply to the school. In the fall of 1942 he left Yale and entered the JLS at Boulder, Colorado.

After graduating in November of 1943, Dr. Boller was stationed in Pearl Harbor, under the command of “Black Jack” Steele. Boller was then assigned to CinCPac’s advanced headquarters on Guam where he found his work to be the most interesting and rewarding in his war time experiences. Boller worked with POW’s in translating surrender leaflets for civilians in Japan; the leaflets urged evacuation and warned of impending bombs likely to be dropped in certain cities. Later, Boller interpreted at a formal surrender ceremony on the island of Rota, Marianas.

At the end of the war Dr. Boller worked as a civilian analyst in the Far Eastern section of the Navy Department on the Japan and Korea desk, in Washington DC. He received his Ph.D. at Yale in 1947, and then went in the fall of 1948 to teach at SMU in Dallas. Dr. Boller retired Emeritus Professor of History at Texas Christian University in 1983. He has authored numerous books including: Memoirs of an Obscure Professor and Other Essays, Presidential Anecdotes, Presidential Campaigns, and Presidential Wives .(1)

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(1) Biography taken from materials in the Captain Roger Pineau Collection, 7-37, University of Colorado Library, Archives.

Also see the Japanese Language School Collection, and the William Hudson Collection, University of Colorado Library, Archives.