Spell, Lota M. (Lota May), 1885-1972

• 9 Nov 1886: born in Pottsboro, Grayson County, Texas
• 1901 - 1905 : attended Allen Academy, Bryan, Texas
• 1905 - 1913 : attended UT intermittently; taught Latin at high schools in Bartlett, San Antonio, and Navasota
• 1910: married Lota Mae Harrigan
• 1913: received B.A. from UT (classics major)
• Jan 1920: appointed instructor in romance languages at UT
• 1920: received M.A. from UT with thesis, Spanish teaching in the United States,
• 1927: Adjunct Professor at UT (called Assistant Professor from 1936)
• 1931: received Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania with dissertation,The life and works of José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi,
• 1939: Associate Professor at UT; received Diploma de Honor from Academia Mexicana for studies in the field of Mexican literature
• 1942 - 1946 : Institute of Latin American Studies (Executive Committee)
• 1943 - 1945 : vice-president and acting president of the Instituto Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana
• 1944: Professor at UT
• 1944 - 1946 : Guest Professor in the Summer School of the National University of Mexico
• 1960: retired from UT
• 1962: Professor Emeritus
• 3 March 1967: died at his home at 2108 Hartford Rd., Austin, Texas
• 1967: (Texas Chapter) Member of the Year, in memoriam

• 2 Feb 1885: born in Big Spring, Texas (raised in San Antonio)
• 1898 - 1901 : attended Virginia Institute, Bristol, Virginia (girls' boarding school)
• 1902 - 1905 : studied music in Austria and Germany (Grand Ducal Conservatory, Karlsruhe)
• 1905 - 1910 : taught music and performed as a pianist in Mexico City
• 1910: instructor at Whitis Preparatory School, Austin
• 8 Sept 1910: married Jefferson Rea Spell
• 1914: received B.A. from UT
• 1919: received M.A. from UT
• 1922 - 1927 : librarian of the Genaro García Collection, University of Texas Library
• 1923: second woman to receive Ph.D. from UT, with a major in history and a minor in education (also studied at Columbia University and University of Chicago)
• 1929 - 1933 : associate editor of The Musicale
• 1929 - 1939 : teacher of music, music history and appreciation at Mulholland School, San Antonio, and the Texas School of Fine Arts, Austin
• 1933 - 1947 : associate editor of Southwestern Musician
• 1936: inscription writer for historical monuments, State of Texas
• 1946 - 1948 : editor of Texas Music News
• early 1960s: donated her correspondence to the Latin American Collection and sold personal library to UT
• 3 April 1972: died in Austin

From the guide to the Jefferson R. and Lota M. Spell Papers 33332702., 1844-1972, 1920-1970, (Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin)

Lota May Harrigan Spell (1885-1972), teacher, author and musician, was a native of Texas.

She was a performing pianist in Europe and Mexico from 1905 to 1910. She taught music at the Whitis School in Austin, Melrose Hall in San Antonio and the Texas School of Fine Arts. She received a Ph. D. in English from the University of Texas, served as librarian of the Garcia Library from 1921 to 1927, and worked for the state to identify historical sites for the Texas Centennial in the 1930s. She wrote numerous articles about music and history and the book, Pioneer Printer Samuel Bangs in Mexico and Texas (1963).

From the description of Spell, Lota May Harrigan, papers, 1861-1967. (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 39540818