Frances Gillmor (21 May 1903 28 October 1993 ) was an American folklorist, scholar, and novelist.

Early life and education

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, May 21, 1903 Frances Gillmor was the only child of Abner Churchill Gillmor and Annie McVicar Gillmor. Gillmor intended to be a writer publishing her first novel in 1929. She attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1921 but left before graduation in 1923 and became a reporter. Her mother's ill health took the family to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in 1926 and Gillmor returned to the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

where she completed a bachelor's and a masters in Arts, finishing in 1931. She became a Navajo expert, having done her master's thesis on John and

Louisa Wade Wetherill Louisa Wade Wetherill (2 September 1877 – 18 September 1945) lived with her husband and children in remote trading posts among the Navajo people in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona for more than 25 years and became an authority on Navajo culture. S ...

in the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Career

Gillmor then taught in

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

and the University of Arizona. She went to Mexico to learn Spanish to improve her ability to engage with the Pueblo Indians, and in part because of a relationship with Ola Apenes. She also worked there as a freelance journalist covering the

Dewey Commission The Dewey Commission (officially the "Commission of Inquiry into the Charges Made against Leon Trotsky in the Moscow Trials") was initiated in March 1937 by the American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky. It was named after its chairman, th ...

in 1937 and interviewing

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

. While there, Gillmor became interested in the Aztecs and began research into Nezahualcoyotl which she later published as his biography. She studied with the Escuela Nacional de Antropologia e Historia in 1952 and Gillmor completed a doctorate, awarded with special distinction, in 1957 through

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

. While undertaking study into the Aztec culture Gillmor was also investigating folklore, attending the

University of Indiana Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IU Indianapolis. The flagship campus of In ...

's folklore institute in 1946 which led to the need to collect the oral traditions in the southwest of the US. In order to preserve the materials Gillmor set up the University of Arizona Folklore Archive which focused on the English and Spanish traditions. Gillmor was involved in the

American Folklore Society The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the United States (US)-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote t ...

and served as vice president in 1958 and 1964. She was given a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 1959 to study folk drama in Spain and Mexico. Despite all her travel and research, Gillmor remained teaching in Arizona and was awarded the university's Creative Teaching award in 1970. Gillmor died on 28 October 1993 in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

. Her papers are held at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections.

Bibliography

* Thumbcap Weir (1929) * Windsinger (1930) * Traders to the Navajos - The Story of the Wetherills of Kayenta (1934) * Fruit Out of Rock (1940) * Flute of the Smoking Mirror (1949) * The King Danced in the Marketplace (1964)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillmor, Frances 1903 births 1993 deaths University of Arizona alumni University of Arizona faculty 20th-century American women writers American folklorists People from Buffalo, New York