Poll, Richard D. (Richard Douglas), 1918-1994
Dates
- Existence: 1918 - 1994
Biography
Richard D. Poll (1918-1994) was a historian and history professor in Utah and Illinois.
Richard Douglas Poll was born on April 23, 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Carl William Poll and Annie Rosella Swenson. He moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas at the age of ten, and attended Texas Christian University (TCU). He graduated from TCU with his bachelor's in history in 1938, and completed a master's degree on a history topic in 1939. Following his graduation, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Canada. Poll then served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945. Amidst the war he married Emogene Hill in the Salt Lake Temple.
After World War II Poll returned to school, earning his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1948. He then joined the history faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU), and served as department chair from 1955 to 1958. During his time at the university he founded a chapter of the American Association of University Professors in 1959, and worked with the Honors Program. He came into conflict with the university administration, however, and resigned his position in 1969. He was then became vice president at Western Illinois University (WIU) until 1975, when he returned to teaching history. After retiring from WIU in 1983 he returned to teach classes at BYU. Poll died on April 27, 1994 in Provo, Utah.
Citation:
His Education for freedom and world understanding, 1962.FamilySearch, 18 August 2011 (Richard Douglas Poll, born 23 April 1918, Salt Lake City, Utah; died 27 April 1994, Provo, Utah)
OCLC, 18 August 2011 (usage: Richard D. Poll)
Wikipedia.org, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013: Richard D. Poll (Richard Douglas Poll; b. Apr. 23, 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah; moved for Fort Worth, Tex. at age 10; served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Canada, 1939-1941; served in U.S. Army Air Force, 1942-1945; m. 1943 in Salt Lake Temple to Emogene Hill; graduated from Texas Christian University in history, 1938; master's degree on a history topic, TCU, 1939; Ph.D. in history, University of California, Berkeley, 1948; professor of history at Brigham Young University, 1948-1970; dept. chair, 1955; charter president of American Association of University Professors on campus, 1959; worked with the Honors Program; resigned from university after conflicts with administration, 1969; vice president, Western Illinois University, 1969-1975; professor of history, WIU, 1975-1983; professor of history, BYU, 1983-1994; d. Apr. 27, 1994 in Provo, Utah)
Familysearch.org, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013 (Richard Douglas Poll; parents: Carl William Poll and Annie Rosella Swenson)
BYU Organizational History, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013 (Richard D. Poll; dept. chair, 1955-1958)
Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:
Oral history interview with Dale H. West
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on April 29, 1988. West describes why he chose to teach English at BYU. He gives an account of his employment with the BYU English Department and describes different aspects of his career including the people who were influential in his professional life. Includes transcript and sound recording.
Oral history interview with Douglas F. Tobler
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on August 11, 1988. Tobler describes why he chose to teach history at BYU. He gives an account of his employment with the BYU History Department and discusses different aspects of his career including his love affair with European History.
Oral history interview with Fred R. Gowans
Oral history interview with James B. Allen
Oral history interview with Marian Ashby Johnson
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on October 24, 1988. Johnson describes why she chose to teach history at BYU. She gives an account of her employment with the BYU History department and discusses different aspects of her career including her love affair with the Renaissance. Includes transcripts and sound recording.
Oral history interview with Mary Stovall Richards
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on September 22, 1988. Stovall describes why she chose to teach history at BYU. She gives an account of her employment with the BYU History Department and discusses different aspectsof her career including her special interest in examining the impact of the Civil War on white southern families.
Oral history interview with Neil Longley York
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on October 19, 1988. York describes why he chose to teach history at BYU. He gives an account of his employment with the BYU History Department and discusses different aspects of hiscareer and his interests in American diplomatic history, the Early American period, and the history of science and technology.
Oral history interview with Norman Edgar Wright
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on September 22, 1988. Wright describes why he chose to teach history at BYU. He gives an account of his employment with the BYU History Department and discusses different aspects of his career including his involvement with the Center for Family History and the publication of his ten books.
Oral history interview with Philip M. Flammer
Oral history interview with Ronald K. Esplin
Interview conducted by Richard Poll as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club on March 20, 1989. Esplin describes his connection with the Historical Department at BYU, gives an account of his employment with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute, and discusses different aspects and projects of his career. Includes sound recordings and transcript.