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Donald J. Ward (1930-2004), Professor Emeritus of German and Folklore, University of California, Los Angeles
Don Ward died on September 1 6, 2004 from complications of Alzheimer 's disease. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Mary Louise Ward, his son James, of Sherman Oaks, and his daughter, Natalie Thomas, and her two sons in Edwards, CA.
Let me briefly summarize the biographical facts and the highpoints of Don's distinguished career. Born on March 16, 1930, in Petaluma, California, he attended high school and junior college in Santa Rosa. He received his Bachelor's degree in 1959 from San Francisco State University. His studies had been interrupted by his service in the United States Air Force (1950-1954), in which he served as a cryptographer. At Ulis time his interest in German culture had been firmly established. After his discharge he therefore remained in Germany to study at the University of Mainz (1954-1956). After receiving his BA. degree, he began his graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages (1965) as one of the students of UCLA's eminent folklorists, the late Wayland D. Hand.
His academic career began with an appointment as Instructor at the University of California, Riverside (1963-1965). In 1965 he became a faculty member at UCLA, where he remained until his retirement in 1991. His international recognition as a folklorist brought him a number of appointments as visiting professor: In 1969-1971, concurrent with his appointment as associate director of the University of California Study Center, he taught at the University of Göttingen, Germany. During a sabbatical leave in 1991 he was asked to teach a seminar as Visiting Professor of Folklore at the University of Freiburg i.Br., Germany, and after his retirement in 1991...