J frank dobie biography sample

DOBIE, J. FRANK (1888-1964)

James Frank Dobie, the beloved best-known popularizer of Texas and ranchland folklore, was born on September 26, 1888, on a small ranch in Live Oak County, Texas. He grew up working as a cowboy on his father's ranch and became a voracious reader.

Educated both at home and in a one-room schoolhouse, he lived among Hispanic workers and so became bilingual. As Dobie matured he absorbed the lore, language, and legends of the land and people he loved, developing a strong, liberal philosophy.

Dobie earned a bachelor of arts degree at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and a master of arts degree at Columbia University in New York City.

In 1914, as an English teacher at the University of Texas, Austin, he became involved with the Texas Folklore Society, before enlisting in the army in 1917. He returned to the University of Texas in 1921, and later (1923–25) served as head of the English Department at Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater.

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