Samuel G. Armistead Papers, circa 1955-2011

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Summary

Creators:
Armistead, Samuel G., 1927-2013
Abstract:
The Samuel G. Armistead Papers includes Armistead's research and teaching materials, unpublished lectures, and correspondence. The collection includes a significant number of recordings and associated transcriptions of ballads, narratives, and riddles collected by Armistead and his collaborators in the field. Also present is a group of materials from fellow scholar Joanne Purcell.
Extent:
133 linear feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Samuel G. Armistead Papers, D-580, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Background

Scope and content:

The Samuel G. Armistead Papers includes Armistead's research and teaching materials, unpublished lectures, and correspondence. The collection includes a significant number of recordings and associated transcriptions of ballads, narratives, and riddles collected by Armistead and his collaborators in the field. Also present is a group of materials from fellow scholar Joanne Purcell.

Biographical / historical:

Samuel Gordon Armistead (1927-2013) was Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Davis from 1982 to 2010. Dr. Armistead was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he spent his early years. He attended Princeton University, where he received his Ph.D. in Spanish literature and Romance languages in 1955. From 1953 to 1982, Dr. Armistead taught at a variety of institutions, beginning with Princeton, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles (1956-1967), Purdue University (1967-1968), and the University of Pennsylvania (1968-1982). He joined the faculty of UC Davis in 1982.

During his career, Samuel Armistead conducted extensive fieldwork in North Africa, the Middle East, the United States, and Europe collecting stories, ballads, poetry, and riddles, with particular attention to traditions of Sephardic folklore. He wrote or contributed to more than thirty books and over 500 articles. Notable among these works is the "Folk Literature of the Sephardic Jews" series, produced in concert with scholars Joseph H. Silverman and Israel J. Katz. Many of the recordings made for this work are available at http://www.sephardifolklit.org . Dr. Armistead was also greatly interested in the rapidly disappearing language of the Isleños of Louisiana, a community largely descended from settlers from the Canary Islands. Dr. Armistead retired from UC Davis in 2010 and remained active in research and writing until his death in 2013.

Selected Awards and Honors:

1999: Antonio Nebrija award, University of Salamanca 2009: Made a corresponding member of the Real Academia Española 2010: Honorary doctorate, Universidad de Alcalá (Madrid)

Sources:

Cook, Bonnie L. "Samuel G. Armistead, Spanish scholar" http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-19/news/41422822_1_uc-davis-samuel-g-biography. Accessed 10 October 2016.

Hamilton, Michelle M. " 'Adio Kerido' In Memoriam: Samuel G. Armistead, 1927–2013". https://muse.jhu.edu/article/537914. Accessed 10 October 2016.

Jones, Dave. "IN MEMORIAM: Sam Armistead, leading scholar of Spanish literature and language". https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/memoriam-sam-armistead-leading-scholar-spanish-literature-and-language. Accessed 10 October 2016.

UC Davis Department of Spanish and Portuguese, "Samuel Gordon Armistead Aug. 21, 1927-Aug. 7, 2013". http://spanish.ucdavis.edu/en/news/samuel-gordon-armistead-aug-21-1927-aug-7-2013?destination=node/258. Accessed 10 October 2016.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Annie L. Armistead, 2014-2015.
Processing information:

Liz Phillips processed this collection and created and encoded the finding aid with the help of student assistants Monica Doan, Robyn Lam, and Julie Jeon.

Jason Sarmiento, Michelle Trujillo, Vanessa Cardona Ocegueda, and Toby Chao processed boxes 107 to 141. Jason Sarmiento re-processed and created item-level inventories of boxes 9-29 (Joanne Purcell sound recordings).

Box 109 originally consisted of medieval manuscripts, and was renumbered to box 142.

Physical location:
Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Samuel G. Armistead Papers, D-580, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library
100 NW Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292, US
Contact:
(530) 752-1621
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
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