Biographical Notes
Born in 1921, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Don Yoder grew up immersed in the traditions of Pennsylvania German culture. Educated at Franklin and Marshall College (A.B., 1942 and B.D., 1945), and at the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1947), Yoder taught at Franklin and Marshall College (1949-1956), and then at the University of Pennsylvania (1956-1996), where he also was chair of the Department of Folklore and Folklife from 1966-1969. He retired from teaching in 1996. He authored and co-authored hundreds of publications, traveled and lectured widely, and held varied posts, including director of the Pennsylvania Folklife Society (which he co-founded), editor of Pennsylvania Folklife, president of the American Folklore Society, and Professor Emeritus of Folklife Studies, University of Pennsylvania. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was elected fellow to the American Antiquarian Society and the American Genealogical Society, among others. He introduced the European concept and practice of folklife studies in the United States. He died in 2015.