Eric Stanley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Stanley
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Professor Eric Stanley at the 2015 Oxford Medieval Graduate Conference
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| Born | October 19, 1923 |
| Died | June 20, 2018 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Scholar |
| Title | Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon |
| Board member of | Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Bateman |
| Children | 1 |
Eric Gerald Stanley (born October 19, 1923 – died June 20, 2018) was a British expert in Anglo-Saxon history and language. He was a special professor of Anglo-Saxon studies at Pembroke College, Oxford. This important role was called the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. He held this position from 1977 to 1991. After retiring, he remained an emeritus professor until he passed away.
Early Life and Education
Eric Stanley was born in Germany. In 1934, his family moved to England. They left Germany to escape Nazi rule. He went to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn in Blackburn. Later, he won a scholarship to University College, Oxford in 1941. He also served in the Second World War.
His Career and Work
Teaching and Professorships
Eric Stanley started teaching at Birmingham University in 1951. He stayed there until 1962. After that, he moved to Queen Mary College, London. There, he first worked as a Reader. In 1964, he became a Professor of English Language and Literature.
In 1975, he took a teaching job at Yale University in the United States. Then, in 1977, he was chosen for the important Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor role at Oxford. He retired from this position in 1991.
Work with Dictionaries
Stanley was also involved with the journal Notes and Queries. He was one of its editors starting in 1963. He continued to be an associate editor until he died.
He also helped with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). He started working on it when he was still a student. He helped collect new words for the OED's second update in 1957. From 1962, he checked the dictionary's pages before they were printed. He looked at all the words from before 1325. He also checked the history of many other words. This was for a big update of the OED that began in the 1990s. He also read and gave comments on all the entries for the Dictionary of Old English from Toronto.
Awards and Recognition
Eric Stanley received several honors for his work. In 1985, he was chosen as a Fellow of the British Academy. This is a very respected group for experts in humanities and social sciences. In 2008, he became a Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. This means he was recognized by a leading group for medieval studies in America. In 1996, a special book called a Festschrift was published in his honor. This book contained essays written by other scholars to celebrate his achievements.
Personal Life
While teaching at Birmingham, Eric Stanley was inspired by his colleague Geoffrey Shepherd. Shepherd influenced Stanley's studies and his religious beliefs. Stanley had strong opinions on many topics.
He learned to drive from Robert Burchfield, who also worked on the OED. Stanley and his wife enjoyed many car trips to Europe. They went to Italy every year. In 1959, he married Mary Bateman. She was a neurologist, a doctor who studies the brain and nerves. Mary passed away in 2016.
