WIRZ, Paul. Moscow 29.5.1892 — Ulopu, Maprik, Papua New Guinea 30.1.1955. Swiss Ethnologist. Born of Swiss parents in Russia, son of Jakob Wirz (1856–1904), a businessman, and Louise Nidecker. School in Moscow and Zürich. Studied physics and chemistry at Technische Hochschule in Zürich, but soon turned to Ethnology. Ph.D. 1920.…
WILSER, Ludwig. Karlsruhe 5.10.1850 — Heidelberg 19.11.1923. German Physician and Racist Theoretician. Gymnasium in Karlsruhe, medical studies at Freiburg, Heidelberg and Leipzig. Dr.Med. Then practising physician in Karlsruhe until 1897, when he moved to Heidelberg and lived there as private scholar. He was interested in craniometry and had relations both…
WIDGERY, Alban Gregory. Bloxwich, Staffordshire 9.5.1887 — Winchester, Va. 22.3.1968. British Scholar of Religion in the U.S.A. Son of Rev. John Thomas Widgery and Ellen Thomas. Studies at Cambridge (St.Catharine’s College, B.A. 1908, M.A. 1912). From 1908-10 taught at Bristol University, 1910-12 further studies at Marburg, Jena and Sorbonne. Then…
WICKI, Josef. Zürich 30.6.1904 — Feldkirch, Vorarlberg 17.2.1996. Fr. S.J. Swiss Historian of Missions. Son of Franz Wicki and Rosa Witprächtiger. Joined S.J. in 1922 in Tisis near Feldkirch. Studied philosophy at Berchmanskolleg in Pullach, Bavaria, and theology at Barcelona and Innsbruck. Dr. Theol. In 1935-88 worked in the Historical…
WESTPHAL, Heinz. 19?? — 21.12.1984. German Physicist, Mathematician and Photographer. Ph.D. Professor in Staatliche Ingenieur-Schule Gauss. From 1953 husband of —> Sigrid Westphal-Hellbusch (1915–1984) with whom he collaborated in anthropological fieldwork in Iraq, Pakistan and India. Photographer of the team. After 1976 they were living in Oldenburg. Publications: See under…
WESTCOTT, Roger Williams. Philadelphia 28.4.1925 — Southbury, Conn. 21.11.2000. U.S. Linguist. From 1942 studies at Princeton, Ph.D. 1948 in Oriental Languages. Taught at M.I.T., Boston University, University of Michigan, Southern Connecticut State University, Wilson College, finally Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at Drew University, emeritus. Publications: “Toward a more concise inventory…
WESTCOTT, George Herbert. Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex 18.4.1862 — Allahabad 16.1.1928. Rev. British Missionary in India. Son of Rev. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825–1901), then Bishop of Durham, and Sarah Whithard. Educated at Marlborough College, studies from 1882 at Peterhouse, Cambridge (B.A. 1885, M.A. 1899). Ordained 1886, after a brief…
WERTZ, Dorothy Corbett. Buffalo, NY 18.5.1937 — 29.4.2003. U.S. Scholar of Religion. B.A. Radcliffe College, then studied Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics. M.A. Radcliffe. Ph.D. Harvard, in Religion. She taught religion and social sciences at eight New England colleges. Later on concentrated on ethical and social issues…
WEINREICH, Uriel. Wilno, Poland (now Vilnius. Lithuania) 23.5.1926 — New York City 30.3.1967. U.S. (born Polish Jew) Linguist. Son of linguist Max Weinreich (1894–1969), a specialist of sociolonguistics and Yiddish, originally from Courland, and Regina Szabad (1898–1974), came via Denmark to New York with his father in 1940, citizen 1945…
WAUCHOPE, Robert Stuart (until 1920 R. S. Wahab). Bengal 20.3.1887 — 19??. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of a Colonel Robert Alexander Wahab of Indian army and Catherine Mary Ward. Joined army in 1906, 1910 appointed to Survey of India. After military duties in 1914-21 its Assistant Director of…