Theodore (Ted) Bank, II was born on August 31, 1923, in Patterson, Louisiana. He served as a Naval weather observer in the Aleutians and the North Pacific during World War II. Bank obtained his M.S. in ethnobotany from the University of Michigan (1950). He led and participated in numerous scientific expeditions to the Aleutian Islands, as well as expeditions to Japan (1955-1956), Argentina, West Africa, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. Bank's professional positions included village teacher in Atka, Alaska (1948-1949), executive director, American Institute for Exploration (1954-1981), visiting lecturer, University of Hokkaido (1955-1956), and director, Aleutian-Bering Sea Institutes Program (1969-1981). He was a member of many professional organizations, including the American Anthropological Association, the Society of American Archaeology, the Polar Society, and the Pacific Science Association. He was also a fellow of the Explorers Club. He authored many articles and books, including Birthplace of the Winds (1956), a personal account of one of his early Aleutian expeditions. His honors included receiving a Fulbright research scholarship for the study of Ainu people in Japan (1955-1956). Ted Bank died in June of 1981.
From the description of Papers, 1901-1980 1917-1980. (UAA/APU Consortium Library). WorldCat record id: 60450093
