JOSEPH, Gerard Abraham. Colombo 6.4.1870 — 4.3.1922 (when 52). Sri Lankan Burgher Civil Servant. Member of Ceylon Civil Service. Son of Abraham Orlando J. and Louisa van Langenberg, From 1893 to his death Secretary and Librarian of Colombo Museum, in the late 1910s also its acting director. Married 1897 Mabel…
FRANCIS, Henry Thomas. West Raynham, Norfolk 22.10.1837 — 28.6.1924. British Indologist (Pāli scholar). Son of William Francis. Education: schools at Walsingham & Ipswitch; from 1856 studies at Cambridge (B.A. 1860, M.A. 1863), 1861-73 Fellow of Caius College. Assistant schoolmaster in Kensington 1864-65, Bromsgrove 1865-73 and at Bedford Grammar School 1874-77.…
FROLA, Eugenio. Montanaro near Turin 27.9.1906 — Turin 6.5.1962. Italian Mathematician interested in Buddhism. Son of Mario Fr. and Maria Pons. Studied engineering at Turin Polytechnic (graduated 1929), then mathematics at Turin university (1933). Assistant, then Professor (incaricato) of mathematics (descriptive geometry) at Turin Polytechnic. From 1940 member of the…
BENNETT, Adrienne Audrey G. 1892 — 1972. Mrs. Britishwoman interested in Buddhism. Studied mathematics and physics, then changed to painting (several exhibitions in London). Lived 14 years in India and China. In WW II engaged in linguistic work, then turned to Buddhist studies. In 1949-52 Librarian of the Buddhist Society,…
WALSHE, Maurice O’Connell. London 22.12.1911 — 18.4.1998. British Germanist and Bauddha. Born of a family with Irish background. Studied German at University College, London (B.A. 1932, M.A. 1935), and at the universities of Berlin, Göttingen, Vienna and Freiburg i. Br. In 1937-39 Assistant Lecturer in German at University College, then…
VELJAČIĆ, Čedomil (Ñāṇajīvaka). Zagreb 18.6.1915 — California 28.12.1997. Croatian Classical Scholar, Philosopher, and Bauddha. Born in a Croatian Catholic family, son of a court secretary. Studied philosophy at Zagreb (B.A. 1939) and became teacher, soon director of gymnasium in Vis island. From 1944 member of the new Yugoslavian representation in…
VASSALINI, Ida. Verona 1.11.1891 — Milano 21.12.1953. Italian Poet and Translator. Daughter of Bartolomeo V. and Itala Abati. Became early interested in classical and oriental philology, in philosophy and poetry. Studies at Padova and Milano. Worked as teacher in Milano. Refused from joining the fascist association and almost lost her…
ST. ANDREW ST. JOHN, Richard Fleming. 12.9.1839 — 6.2.1919. British Officer and Burmese Scholar. Son of Henry St.A. St.John and Emily Murray Belcher. Lieutenant. Deputy Commissioner in Burma. In the 1890s he taught Burmese at Oxford and at University College in London (1894), at least at Oxford continued until the…
SCHMIDT, Johann Wilhelm Richard. Aschersleben, Sachsen-Anhalt 29.1.1866 — Münster, Westfalen 15.11.1939. German Indologist. Professor in Münster. Son of a teacher. After school in Eisleben studied in 1886-90 at Halle (Pischel, Geldner). Ph.D. 1890 Halle. Eight years in Eisleben, probably as teacher. PD 1898 Halle, in 1904-10 also Librarian of D.M.G. In…
SCHMIDT, Kurt. Berlin 1879 — Berlin 1975. German Journalist and Bauddha. Dr. iuris 1901 Rostock. Worked as journalist in Munich, Dresden and Leipzig, and Westfalen, 1901-31. Became interested in Buddhism though Oldenberg’s book and Neumann’s translations and started learning Pāli, then also Sanskrit and Chinese. After WW II living in West…