John Ashmead

Background

John Ashmead was born in New York City on August 22, 1917, to John and Mildred Ashmead. He graduated from the Loomis Institute in 1934 and developed an enduring interest in Japan, Japanese language, literature, and the relationship between culture and technology. After graduating from Harvard, he worked as a reporter for the Hartford Times before entering wartime service. He married Ann Harnwell, an archaeologist and specialist in Greek vases, on October 15, 1949. They had five children—John, Graham Gaylord, Gaylord Harnwell, Louisa Harral, and Theodora Wheeler—and divorced in 1976.

Education

Ashmead graduated from the Loomis Institute in 1934 and attended Harvard University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938, a Master of Arts degree in 1939, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1950. His doctoral dissertation, The Idea of Japan 1853–1895: Japan as Described by American and Other Travellers from the West, examined Western descriptions of Japan. His preparation in Japanese also included training through the United States Navy Japanese-language program at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Colorado Boulder.

Career

After Harvard, Ashmead worked as a reporter for the Hartford Times. During World War II he served four years in the United States Navy as a naval intelligence officer and Japanese-language translator. His intelligence work helped provide information used in the interception and shooting down of the aircraft carrying Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, for which Ashmead received a commendation. After the war he joined the Haverford College faculty in 1947 or 1948 and remained associated with the college until 1988, serving as a professor of English and department chairman. He taught American and Asian literature, creative writing, composition, rhetoric, and film, and helped pioneer the use of computers in education and humanities research, including computer programs for analyzing poetry. He also lectured at Bryn Mawr College and Athens College in Greece, and held Fulbright-related teaching appointments at Osaka University of Foreign Studies in Japan, National Chengchi University and Taipei Normal University in Taiwan, and Benares Hindu University in India. His research and teaching addressed American literature, Japanese culture, modern Indian and Pakistani fiction, Lafcadio Hearn, film, literary composition, and the connections between literature and technology. In later years he concentrated especially on Robert Burns, collaborating with Haverford colleague John Davison on scholarship, lectures, performances, and a book about Burns's songs.

Achievements

• Pioneered the use of computers in education and humanities research at Haverford College, including computer programs for analyzing poetry.

• Produced scholarship and teaching that connected American literature with Japanese culture, modern Indian and Pakistani fiction, film, technology, and literary composition.

• Mentored Haverford students who became published writers and scholars, including Frank Conroy and John Davison.

• Helped connect literary scholarship and musical performance through lectures, concerts, and collaborative work on Robert Burns's songs.

Works

• anthology

  • Modern Short Fiction of India and Pakistan

    (Anthology associated with Ashmead's research and teaching...)

• article

  • Report on Japan

    (Article on Japan published in The Atlantic Monthly.)

    1956

  • Report on Japan

    (Article on Japan published in The Atlantic Monthly.)

    1960

  • The Japs Look at the Yanks

    (Article published in The Atlantic Monthly.)

  • A Modern Language for Japan

    (Article published in The Atlantic Monthly.)

  • These Were My Japanese Students

    (Article published in The Atlantic Monthly.)

• doctoral dissertation

  • The Idea of Japan 1853–1895: Japan as Described by American and Other Travellers from the West

    (Published version of Ashmead's Harvard doctoral research ...)

    1987

• novel

  • The Mountain and the Feather

    (A novel based on the experiences of a young United States...)

    1961

  • All Who Sleep on Brambles

    (A novel identified among Ashmead's published fiction.)

• scholarly study

  • The Songs of Robert Burns

    (Co-authored with John Davison; examines the relationship ...)

    1988

• textbook

  • English 12: Rhetoric

    (A rhetoric textbook associated with Ashmead's teaching an...)

  • Synthesizing: An Elective Course in Composition

    (A composition text associated with Ashmead's teaching of ...)

• translation anthology

  • The Reeds

    (An edited collection of translations from Japanese litera...)

    1956

Membership

Ashmead belonged to the Modern Language Association, the American Studies Association, the Association for Asian Studies, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Authors League of America, the Authors Guild, Phi Beta Kappa, the Society of Architectural Historians, the Machine Transportation Society, and the Trap Door Spiders literary and social club. Within the Modern Language Association, he chaired the Oriental-Western literature relations conference group in 1966. Through the National Council of Teachers of English, he served on the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Committee on an Annotated Recording List, and the National Advisory Council on Teaching English as a Foreign Language. He also served as vice-chair of the School and College Conference on English.

• Chaired the Oriental-Western literature relations conference group in 1966.

  Modern Language Association , United States

• American Studies Association , United States

• Association for Asian Studies , United States

• Machine Transportation Society , United States

• Society of Architectural Historians , United States

• Served on the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Committee on an Annotated Recording List, and the National Advisory Council on Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

  National Council of Teachers of English , United States

• Phi Beta Kappa , United States

• Authors League of America , United States

• Authors Guild , United States

• Member of the literary and social club.

  Trap Door Spiders , United States

Personality

Former students and colleagues remembered Ashmead as an inspiring, wide-ranging teacher and mentor. His documented activities also show a highly practical and inventive side: he developed computer applications for humanities research, made and played keyboard and other musical instruments, and combined literary scholarship with lectures, performances, and creative writing.

Quotes from others about the person

• Frank Conroy portrayed Ashmead as a formative mentor in the essays “My Tormented Mentor” and “My Teacher.” John Davison's memoir described Ashmead's intellectual energy, collaboration, and deep engagement with Robert Burns's poetry and music.

Interests

• Ashmead's documented interests included Japanese language and culture, American and Asian literature, modern Indian and Pakistani fiction, film, creative writing, technology in the humanities, literary composition, Robert Burns, music, musical-instrument making, and travel.

• Writers

  Robert Burns

• Sport & Clubs

  Figure skating

• Music & Bands

  Ashmead developed a sustained scholarly and creative interest in song, especially the relationship between the poetry and music of Robert Burns. He collaborated with John Davison on lectures, performances, and The Songs of Robert Burns, and made and played harpsichords, clavichords, mountain dulcimers, harps, and other instruments.

Connections

Ashmead was married to Ann Harnwell from 1949 until their divorce in 1976, and they had five children. At Haverford he maintained close professional and intellectual relationships with colleagues and students. He collaborated with composer John Davison on The Songs of Robert Burns and encouraged former student Frank Conroy to pursue advanced study in creative writing. Conroy later described Ashmead's influence in the essays “My Tormented Mentor” and “My Teacher.” Ashmead also maintained connections with writers, scholars, and graduates of the United States Navy Japanese Language School, as well as literary and cultural figures associated with Japan, India, Scotland, and the United States.

Father:

John Ashmead

Mother:

Mildred Ashmead

Wife:

Ann Harnwell

Archaeologist and specialist in Greek vases; married Ashmead in 1949 and divorced in 1976.

Son:

John Ashmead

Son:

Graham Gaylord Ashmead

Son:

Gaylord Harnwell Ashmead

Daughter:

Louisa Harral Ashmead

Daughter:

Theodora Wheeler Ashmead

Collegue :

John Davison

Haverford colleague and co-author of The Songs of Robert Burns.

Collegue :

Frank Conroy

Former Haverford student whom Ashmead encouraged to pursue advanced study in creative writing.

References

• The New York Times obituary Documents Ashmead's death, professorship, and pioneering use of computers in the humanities.
  1992
• Haverford College Scholarship author page Lists John Ashmead among authors represented in Haverford's scholarly repository.
• Fulbright Scholars Directory, 1955–1956 Documents Ashmead's Fulbright appointment as an assistant professor of English from Haverford College and lecturer in American literature at Osaka University of Foreign Studies.
  1955
• English Language Arts: An International Perspective Provides a biographical profile of Ashmead's education, naval service, Haverford appointment, overseas lectureships, research interests, and publications.
  1972
• John Ashmead: The Writing of The Mountain and the Feather Documents the composition, revision, themes, and publication history of Ashmead's 1961 novel.
• John Davison memoir of John Ashmead Describes Ashmead's collaboration with John Davison on Robert Burns's songs and their joint lectures and performances.
  1992