Clark, Ella E. (Ella Elizabeth), 1896-1984
Variant namesProfessor of English, Washington State University.
From the description of Papers, 1944-1965. (Washington State University). WorldCat record id: 29852286
Ella Elizabeth Clark was born at Summertown, Tennessee in 1896. After attending high school in Peoria, Illinois in 1917 she became a high school teacher though she did not receive her B.A. from Northwestern University until 1921. Miss Clark continued to teach high school English and dramatics until 1927 when she received her M.A. from Northwestern and began teaching at Washington State University. From 1927 to 1961, when she retired from the English faculty as professor emeritus, she taught both beginning and advanced writing and literature courses and wrote on such diverse subjects as Indian mythology, botany, and firefighting in our national forests.
In 1933, in collaboration with fellow faculty member Paul P. Kies, she wrote a writer's manual and workbook which was soon followed by an annotated anthology of poetry which she authored alone. It was also in the 1930's that Miss Clark began her travels in Canada, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest in search of the varied myths and legends of the North American Indian which were dying in the wake of the new urbantechnological age. She continued this work into the next decade while continuing to be an active teacher and member of several professional, campus, and local history associations. The Second World War involved Miss Clark as a fire lookout for the United States Forest Service in the Cascades for several summers. This new experience provided her with rich materials for publication on the varied flora of the Cascades and attempts to prevent fire from destroying this natural heritage.
However, the major core of Miss Clark's work continued to be the diverse legends of the Indian. Her findings were published in Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest (1953), Indian Legends of Canada (1960), and Indian Legends From the Northern Rockies (1966). This scholarly interest in mythology flowed over into a general concern for the well-being and future of the American Indian which is apparent not only in her published works but in her personal correspondence.
From the guide to the Ella Elizabeth Clark Papers, 1944/1965, (Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
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creatorOf | Clark, Ella E. (Ella Elizabeth), 1896-1984. Papers, 1944-1965. | Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries | |
creatorOf | Sassoon, Siegfried, 1886-1967. Letter, 1935 June 1 : Wiltshire, to Ella E. Clark, New York City. | Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries | |
referencedIn | Leonard Hegnauer Papers, 1954-1963 | Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) | |
creatorOf | Housman, A. E. (Alfred Edward), 1859-1936. Letter, 1935 June 23 : Trinity College, Cambridge, to Miss Ella E. Clark. | Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries | |
creatorOf | Hegnauer, Leonard, 1872-1963. Papers, 1954-1963. | Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries | |
creatorOf | Ella Elizabeth Clark Papers, 1944/1965 | Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) |
Role | Title | Holding Repository |
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Filters:
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associatedWith | Hegnauer, Leonard, 1872-1963. | person |
correspondedWith | Housman, A. E. (Alfred Edward), 1859-1936. | person |
correspondedWith | Sassoon, Siegfried, 1886-1967. | person |
associatedWith | Washington State University | corporateBody |
Place Name | Admin Code | Country |
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Indians of North America |
Native Americans |
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Person
Birth 1896
Death 1984