| Herbert Halpert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 August 1911 New York, United States |
| Died | 29 December 2000 (aged 89)[1] St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | anthropologist, folklorist |
| Spouse | Violetta Maloney Halpert |
| Children | Nicholas Halpert |
Dr. Herbert Halpert (23 August 1911 — 29 December 2000) was an American anthropologist and folklorist, specialised in the collection and study of both folk song and narrative.[2]
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Herbert Halpert's interest in folklore emerged in his adolescence and remain throughout his life. Consistent with his choice, earned an M.A. in Anthropology from Columbia University, where he studied with Ruth Benedict and George Herzog, and a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University, under the guidance of Stith Thompson. Both dissertations were based on field studies of American folklore.[2]
During World War II, Halpert served in the Alaskan Division of the Air Transport Command of the U.S. Army Air Corps.[3] After the conflict, he became Professor and Head of the Department of English at Murray State College, in Kentucky, where he encouraged his students to collect local traditions. Between 1956-1960, he became Dean and Professor of English and Sociology at Blackburn College, in Illinois. In 1960, he was also Visiting Professor at the University of Arkansas and in the following year he moved to New York, where he lived until 1962, teaching at the State University of New York.[2]
In the autumn of 1962, Halpert became Associate Professor of English at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), where in 1968, he founded the Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA) and developed most of the work in folklore that became internationally renowned.[2]