Biography
Spencer was born near Bolivar, Missouri, on September 11, 1907; grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California, and graduated from Burbank High School; BA, geography, UCLA, 1929; Ph.D, geography, University of California at Berkeley, 1936; worked for the Salt Revenue Administration Ministry of Finance, China, 1932-40; instructor in Geography, UCLA, 1940-42; served in World War II and afterwards returned to UCLA as an assistant 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 Association of American Geographers in 1968; retired in 1975; died on May 23, 1984.
From the guide to the Joseph E. Spencer Papers, 1924-1985, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)
