Willis, William Shedrick, 1921-1983

William S. Willis was an anthropologist. He studied at Columbia University (Ph.D., 1955) and conducted research on Indians of the Southeast United States. He taught at Southern Methodist University and at Columbia University. In addition to his interest in American Indians, Willis researched Afro-American history and the history of anthropology, particularly racism in anthropology, and the career of Franz Boas.

From the description of Papers, [ca. 1940-1983]. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 154298153

William Shedrick Willis, Jr. (1921-1983) was an anthropologist and ethnohistorian. Shortly after his birth in Waco, Texas, the Willis family moved to Dallas where William graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He continued his education at Howard University, graduating cum laude (A.B.,1942), and at Columbia University, where he recived a Ph.D. in anthropology in 1955. William married Georgina Upshur, who also attended Columbia University (M.S., 1946), in 1949.

Willis' early works addressed the subject of Indian-Black relations in Southeastern North America. His published works on this subject include Colonial Conflict and the Cherokee Indians, 1710-1760 (1955), The Nation of Bread (1957), Patrilineal Institutions in Southeastern North America (1963), and Divide and Rule: Red, White, and Black in the Southeast (1963).

After many years in New York City, the Willis' returned to Dallas in 1964. Here William accepted a joint teaching position in the Division of Social Sciences at Bishop College and in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. William Willis was the first Black scholar to be appointed to the faculty of Southern Methodist University.

It was during his tenure at SMU that Willia turned his attention to the study of Blacks in anthropology. In fact, Willis was instrumental in helping to establish the African American Studies Program at SMU. This new direction prompted Willis to re-evaluate the contribution of Franz Boas in relation to Blacks and the development of anthropology in the United States. Willis' works on these subjects include Anthropology and Negroes on the Southern Colonial Frontier (1970), and Skeletons in the Anthropological Closet (1972).

Willis resigned from SMU in 1972 in protest against the racist treatment he received from the faculty within the Department of Anthropology. He continued teaching at Columbia University during summer sessions until 1975. It was after his resignation from SMU that Willis began extensive research and writing on Franz Boas. The Willis' returned to Philadelphia (Georgine Willis' hometown) in 1978 where William was able to utilize the collections at the American Philosophical Society Library. Works during this period include Franz Boas and the Study of Black Folklore (1973), and Dubious Boasiana (1983).

William Willis suffered a fatal heart attack on 8 August 1983. He had begun writing a treatise entitled Boas Goes to Atalnta, which focused in Boas' commencement address at the 11th Atlanta University Conference on Negro Problems and its significance to Boas and the development of anthropology in the United States.

Willis was a fellow of the American Anthropological Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ans was an active member of the American Society for Ethnohistory, the Society for American Archaeology, and the American Association of University Professors.

From the guide to the William Shedrick Willis papers, [ca. 1940-1983], Circa 1940-1983, (American Philosophical Society)