Spencer was born near Bolivar, MO, on Sept. 11, 1907; grew up in the San Fernando Valley, CA, and graduated from Burbank High School; BA, geography, UCLA, 1929; Ph. D, geography, UC Berkeley, 1936; worked for the Salt Revenue Administration Ministry of Finance, China, 1932-40; instructor in Geography, UCLA, 1940-42; served in WWII and afterwards returned to UCLA as an asst. professor; became professor of Geography (1953-75) and professor emeritus (1975-84); his fields of expertise were East and Southeast Asia and cultural geography; recipient of UCLA Teaching Award, 1966; received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Assn. of American Geographers in 1968; retired in 1975; died on May 23, 1984.
From the description of Papers, 1924-1985. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 38274985
