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THEODORE PAUL BANK, II (1923-1981). Papers; n.d., 1901, 1917-1980. 11.9 cu. ft. Inventory.
Photo Credit/Source: Photographer Unknown. The photograph has been remodified and reduced. It is in Series 13 (Album 21) of the Theodore Paul Bank II Col.
Theodore (Ted) Bank, II was born on August 31, 1923, in Patterson, Louisiana. He studied human biology at Harvard (1941-1943), leaving to serve as a naval weather observer in the Aleutians and the North Pacific during World War II. After the war he resumed his studies, obtaining a B.S. in forestry at the University of Michigan (1946 or 1947). He obtained his M.S. in ethnobotany from the University of Michigan (1950), and also did postgraduate work in anthropology there (1947-1953). He led and participated in numerous scientific expeditions to the Aleutian Islands as well as expeditions to Japan (1955-1956), Argentina, West Africa, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. Bank's professional positions included village teacher in Atka, Alaska (1948-1949); executive director, American Institute for Exploration (1954-1981); visiting lecturer, University of Hokkaido (1955-1956); research associate, University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology (1956-1957); assistant professor of anthropology, Chicago Teachers College North (1961-1963); social research anthropologist, Agnews State Hospital (1965-1966); visiting lecturer, College of San Mateo (1965-1966); assistant professor of anthropology, Chapman College, Seven Seas Division (1967); professor of social science, Western Michigan University (1967-1981); and director, Aleutian-Bering Sea Institutes Program (1969-1981). He was a member of many professional organizations, including the American Anthropological Association (fellow), the Society of American Archaeology (fellow), the Polar Society, and the Pacific Science Association. He was also a fellow of the Explorers Club, a frequent contributor to their journal (The Explorers Journal), and the proud carrier of Explorers Club Flag #159. He authored many articles and books, including Birthplace of the Winds (1956), a personal account of one of his early Aleutian expeditions. His honors included receiving a Fulbright research scholarship for the study of the Ainu people in Japan (1955-1956). Ted Bank was married three times, to Janet Fowler (1948-1953), Shirley Waterman (1954-1962), and Trina Paula Lindenstein (1963-1981). He had two children, Theodore Paul Bank and Kristin Kara Bank. He was often accompanied and assisted professionally by his wives during his expeditions. He died in June of 1981.
The collection consists of records relating to Ted Bank's activities as an anthropologist and explorer. Included are papers relating to Aleutian expeditions, records of the American Institute for Exploration, drafts and publications by Ted Bank, records relating to the American-Japan Society of Hokkaido, motion picture film taken in the Aleutian Islands, and almost 10,000 photographs and negatives relating to Alaskan expeditions, the Ainu people, and other subjects.
The collection was presented to the archives by Dr. William H. Woodhams in 1982. Additional materials were added in 1989. All artifacts from Alaskan excavations were transferred to the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks in 1992 to be held for transfer to an appropriate Aleutian repository.
HMC-0068
MW (8/1996)