POSTANS, Thomas. Lee, Kent (?) 1808 — Deesa, Gujarat 11.12.1846. British Colonial Officer interested in Ethnology and Archaeology of India. Captain. Son of Thomas and Agathe Postans, the mother was of French origin, but died in 1816. Joined E.I.C. service as cadet in 1827 and came to Bombay. From 1834…
POPLEY, Herbert Arthur. Richmond, Surrey 1878 — Coonoor, India 9.5.1960. Rev. British Missionary and Indologist in India, specialized in Classical Tamil Literature. Studies at Hackney College (B.A.). Ordained priest 1901 and left to India as London Missionary Society’s missionary. Worked in Erode, founding Community Training School there. In 1921 moved…
POELMEIJER, Ronald Herman. Amsterdam 12.7.1946 — Amsterdam 30.6.1993. Dutch Tibetologist. Son of Hermanus P. and Lena Cornelia Hund. Studied Indology and Tibetan at Amsterdam, then Lecturer of Tibetan at Leiden. Never completed his doctorate. Publications: Reviews and popular articles. – With Ria Kloppenborg, “Visualizations in Buddhist Meditation”, Dirk van der…
PITTMAN, Richard Saunders (Dick). Streator, Ill. 19.2.1915 — Waxhaw, Union, NC 21.8.1998. U.S. Linguist. Son of glass manufacturer Edwin John Pittman and Louise Shepard. Graduated 1936 from Asbury College. In 1940-50 lived in Tetelcingo, Mexico, doing linguistic fieldwork, and continued his studies in the U.S.A., first at University of Michigan,…
PIET, John Henry. Grand Rapids, Michigan 2.9.1914 — Holland, Michigan 16.10.1992. Rev. U.S. Missionary and Scholar of Religion. Minister of the Reformed Church in America. Son of Reinder Piet and Gesina Johanna Charlotta Brinkman. Studies at Hope College (graduated A.B. 1936) and Princeton Theological Seminary. B.D. 1939 Western Theological Seminary.…
PHILIPPI, Friedrich Wilhelm Martin (Fritz). Dorpat (Tartu) 3.11.1843 — Rostock 6.3.1905. German (born in Estonia) Semitic Scholar. Professor in Rostock. Son of Friedrich Adolf Philippi (1809–1882), who was later Professor of Theology at Rostock. After school in Dorpat, from 1863 studies of theology at Rostock, Berlin and Leipzig. Ph.D. 1866…
PETER, Friedrich A. Leh, Ladakh 1904 — 1988. Swiss Priest and Tibetan Scholar. Son of Friedrich E. Peter (d. 1945), who was Herrnhutian Bishop in Ladakh. Himself originally an architect, but soon turned to theology and became a priest. In 1930 returned to Ladakh and worked at the mission station…
PERRY, Edward Delavan. Troy, NY 20.12.1854 — New York City 28.3. 1938. U.S. Indologist and Classical Scholar. Professor in New York. Son of Amos Sone Perry and Sarah Hillhouse. Studies of classical philology at Columbia University in New York (A.B. 1875). Further studies under Roth at Tübingen, Ph.D. there 1879.…
PERRIN, Marshall Livingston. Wellesley Hills (now Frantville) county Norfolk, Mass. 31.7.1855 — Obod. 2.12.1935. U.S. Linguist. Professor in Boston. Son of Noah Perrin and Philenia Winship Stone. Educated at Harvard (A.B. 1874, A.M. 1876), post-graduate studies 1877-80 at Harvard, 1883-88 in Germany, mostly at Göttingen, where Ph.D. 1889. In 1874…
PERINI, Osvaldo. Verona (?) 1826 — 1890. Italian Journalist, Author, Historian and Translator interested in Sanskrit Literature. In 1849 expelled as a nationalist from Verona by Austrian government, worked as teacher in Breno near Brescia, and, after a while in Lugano, in other Lombardian towns, in 1853-62 in Turin and…