Jack Tobin (anthropologist)

Not to be confused with Jack Tobin.

Jack Adair Tobin, Ph.D. (June 15, 1920 – June 19, 2010) was an American anthropologist who devoted much of his life to the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.[1]

Tobin served in the United States Navy during World War II and was a survivor of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.[1] He enrolled at the University of Hawaii following the end of World War II, earning a bachelor's degree in anthropology.[1] He studied under Dr. Leonard Mason, a leading specialist on Micronesia, who instilled Tobin's interest in the Marshall Islands.[1]

In the early 1950s, Tobin attended a research trip to Arno Atoll.[1] He became a district anthropologist for the Marshall Islands, then part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, shortly after the Arno research trip.[1] He left the Marshalls and completed his doctorate in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.[1] He returned to the Marshall Islands, where he worked as a community development officer.[1]

Tobin moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, upon his retirement. In 2002, he released his best known book, Stories from the Marshall Islands.[1]

Jack Tobin died in Honolulu on June 18, 2010.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Marquard, Bryan (2010-06-25). "Noted Pacific Anthropologist Dies in Honolulu". East West Center (Pacific Islands Report). Retrieved 2010-06-29.