Hand, Wayland D. (Wayland Debs), 1907-1986

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1907-03-19

Death 1986-10-22

Biographical notes:

Folklorist. Wayland Hand was active in the folklore field from about 1937-1986.

From the description of The Wayland Hand collection of superstition and popular belief on index cards, 1937?-1986? (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 69242470

Wayland Debs Hand (1907-1986) was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He immigrated to the United States and attended the University of Utah where he received his B.A. and M.A. in German. He received a PhD in Germanic Languages from the University of Chicago in 1936. From 1936-1937 Hand taught German at the University of Minnesota, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). From 1937 to 1974, he taught German and pioneered the Folklore Program at UCLA. He is recognized today as a major scholar and folklorist.

From the description of The Wayland D. Hand folklore papers, 1938-1986. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 71790243

Wayland Debbs Hand was born March 19, 1907 in Auckland, New Zealand to Hyrum and Margaret White Hand. On June 8, 1932 Hand married Viola White and they later had three children, Jacqueline (1937) and Winifred (1949), and Sidney Gilford (1950). In 1956 Hand divorced Viola and on December 19, 1957 Hand married Celeste Gilford.

During the latter 1920s Hand enrolled in the University of Utah were he began studying German. In 1933 he received is B.A. in German and in 1934 a M.A. in German. Later that year he was accepted by the University of Chicago, were he studied under the renowned scholar Archer Taylor. Hand received a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages in 1936. From 1936-1937 Hand taught German at the University of Minnesota, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). From 1937 to 1974 Hand taught German and pioneered the Folklore Program at UCLA. Hand died on October 22, 1986 in Los Angeles.

Over the course of Hand's career he was involved in many positions of leadership, served on many committees, and published numerous books and articles. Hand served as the President of the Modern Language Association of Southern California (1955-1956), President of the American Folklore Society (1957-1958), Vice-President of the North American International Society for Folk-Narrative Research (1964-1974), and President of the California Folklore Society (1969-1970). He served as an editor for the California Folklore Quarterly (1942-1946), the Journal of American Folklore (1947-1951), and Western Folklore (1953-1966). Hand is the author of Humaniora: Essays in Literature, Folklore, and Bibliography (1960), Popular Beliefs & Superstitions from North Carolina (1964), American Folk Legend (1971), and American Folk Medicine (1976).

Source: W. D. Hand's vitas, Series I, Box 1, Fd 1.

From the guide to the Wayland D. Hand folklore papers, 1938-1986, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)