JOSEPH, Gerard Abraham. Colombo 6.4.1870 — 14.3.1922 (when 52). Sri Lankan Burgher Civil Servant. Member of Ceylon Civil Service. Son of Abraham Orlando Joseph (1812–1897) and Louisa van Langenberg (1842–1886), From 1893 to his death Secretary and Librarian of Colombo Museum, in the late 1910s also its acting director. Married…
FRANCIS, Henry Thomas. West Raynham, Norfolk 22.10.1837 — Cambridge 28.6.1924. British Indologist (Pāli scholar). Son of William Francis and Mary Gay. 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…
FROLA, Eugenio. Montanaro near Turin 27.9.1906 — Turin 6.5.1962. Italian Mathematician interested in Buddhism. Son of Mario Frola 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 A. 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, London,…
BEHRSING, Siegfried. Bremerfeld, near Weissenstein (now Prääma in Estonia) 9.11.(27.10.)1903 — Berlin 5.4.1994. German (originally from Estonia) Sinologist and Buddhist Scholar, in the beginning also an Indologist. Professor in Berlin (East). Born in the then Russian Estonia as a son of the German teacher (tutor, later Oberlehrer), Arthur Behrsing (1873–1929),…
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 and Vienna, one year Lecturer at Freiburg i. Br. In 1937-39 Assistant Lecturer in German…
VELJAČIĆ, Čedomil (Ñāṇajīvaka). Zagreb 18.6.1915 — San Francisco, Calif. 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…
VASSALINI, Ida. Verona 1.11.1891 — Milano 21.12.1953. Italian Poet and Translator. Daughter of Bartolomeo Vassalini and Itala Abati, grew up in Verona. Became early interested in classical and oriental philology, in philosophy and poetry. Studies at Padua (degree in philology) and Milano (degree in philosophy). Worked as teacher in Milano.…
ST. ANDREW ST. JOHN, Richard Fleming. Ealing (?) 12.9.1839 — Brentford, Middlesex 6.2.1919. British Officer and Burmese Scholar. Son of Rev. Henry St.Andrew St.John (1796–1874) and Emily Murray Belcher. Lieutenant. Deputy Commissioner in Burma. Also visited Andamans. In the 1890s he taught Burmese at Oxford and at University College in…
SIMON, Richard Nathan. Hamburg 10.9.1865 — Berlin 14. or 17.8.1934. German Indologist. Born in a family of Jewish origin, son of Isidor Simon (1823–1889) and Rosalia Marcus, educated at Johanneum in Hamburg. In 1884-88 studied at Leipzig, Freiburg, Berlin, and Halle classical, German and Indian philology, in which his teachers…