Albert Bates Lord
　　born September 15, 1912

"Lord changed the way we think about verbal art, profoundly and permanently."

　　In recognition of the centennial anniversary of the birth of Albert Bates Lord on September 15, 1912 in Boston, Massachusetts, it is my honor and pleasure to invite you to remember some of his magnificent contributions to our fields of study. Professor Lord published two works in Oral Tradition, “Perspectives on Recent Work on the Oral Traditional Formula” (1986) and “Characteristics of Orality” (1987). “A Bibliography of Publications by Albert Bates Lord” (2010) provides a perspective on the breadth of his work.

　　The Lord Collection comprises the personal libraries of Albert Bates Lord and Mary Louis Lord and is available at Ellis Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Online for the first time is a video of the late John Miles Foley’s lecture “Albert Lord and the Study of Oral Traditions” delivered February 10, 2011 as part of the dedication ceremony for the Lord Collection.

　　Professor Foley published “Obituary: Albert Bates Lord (1912-1991)” in Journal of American Folklore 105 (Winter, 1992), pp. 57-65. Characterizing one of Professor Lord’s many accomplishments he stated the essential matter: “Lord changed the way we think about verbal art, profoundly and permanently.” (59).

　　Albert Lord and the Study of Oral Traditions
　　Presentation by John Miles Foley

Dr. John Zemke, Director

Center for Studies in Oral Tradition

Sources: Oral Tradition