W. L. Jeyasingham

W. L. Jeyasingham
Born (1916-01-07)7 January 1916
Died December 1989
Ethnicity Sri Lankan Tamil
Alma mater St. Patrick's College, Jaffna
St. Joseph's College, Colombo
University of Ceylon
Clark University
Occupation Academic
Title Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Jaffna
Term December 1978 – January 1979
Predecessor K. Kailasanatha Kurukkal & S. Gamalath
Successor S. Rajaratnam

William Luther Jeyasingham (7 January 1916 – December 1989) was a Sri Lankan Tamil teacher, geographer, academic and dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Jaffna.

Early life and family

Jeyasingham was born on 7 January 1916.[1] He was educated at St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and St. Joseph's College, Colombo.[1] He passed the Cambridge Seniors exam with honours and matriculated in 1933.[1] After school he joined the University of Ceylon, graduating in 1939 with a degree in mathematics and geography.[1]

Jeyasingham married Sarah Pushpam Mills.[1] They had four sons and a daughter.[1]

Career

Jeyasingham joined Jaffna College as a teacher in 1940.[1] He then won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Clark University from where he received a MA degree in 1951 after producing a thesis tiled The Kalutara District, with Special Reference to Settlements.[2] He revived a Phd from the university in 1958 after producing a thesis tiled The Geography of Jaffna Town.[1][2]

Jeyasingham then returned to Jaffna College, serving as head of the social services department and president of the college (1965-74).[1]

Jeyasingham was later an associate professor and head of the department of geography at the University of Jaffna.[1] He was dean of the Faculty of Arts at the university from December 1978 to January 1979.[3]

Later life

Jeyasingham moved to the USA in 1984.[1] He died in December 1989.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. p. 63.
  2. 1 2 "Guy Burnham Index" (PDF). Clark University.
  3. ↑ "Former Deans". Faculty of Arts, University of Jaffna.


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