Background

W. K. McNeil (born William Kinneth McNeil) was born on August 13, 1940 in Canton, North Carolina, United States. Son of William McKinley and Winifred (Rigdon) McNeil. W. K. McNeil was known as "Bill" to his friends.

Education

He received his B.A. in history at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, in 1962, his M.A. in history from Oklahoma State University in 1963, an M.A. in American folk culture from the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York in 1967, and his Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University in 1980. His dissertation was on the history of American folklore studies to 1908 and he published many biographical articles based on this work.

Career

He worked as historian at State Department of Education, Albany, NY, from 1967 to 1970. Later, he was a folklorist at Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, in 1975-1976. Since 1976 he was a folklorist at Ozark Folk Center, Mountain View, AR. He was president of the Ozark States Folklore Society between 1980 and 1981.

Achievements

• He received the Outstanding Academic Book Award in 1995.

Works

Works Gallery

• book

  • American Proverb Literature: A Bibliography. (Folklore Forum, Bibliographic and Special Series, No. 6)
  • Ghost Stories from the American South
  • Southern Folk Ballads
  • Southern Mountain Folksongs: Traditional Songs from the Appalachians and the Ozarks (American Folklore Series)
  • Ozark Country (Folklife in the South Series)
  • Southern Folk Ballads American Originals: a Heritage in Song and Story
  • [ [ [ Ozark Country[ OZARK COUNTRY ] By McNeil, W. K. ( Author )Oct-01-1995 Paperback

Membership

He was a fellow of the American Folklore Society (book review editor 1977-1980), Mid-American Folklore Society (secretary, treasurer since 1987), New York Folklore Society, California Folklore Society, Pennsylvania Folklore Society. McNeil was also a member of advisory board of the National Folk Festival.

Interests

• Other Interests

  Collecting books, records, and sheet music; reading, swimming, hiking.

Connections

He married Grace Joy Taucan Morandarte on July 25, 1994.

father:

William McKinley McNeil - sales manager

mother:

Margaret Winifred (Rigdon) McNeil

spouse:

Grace Joy Taucan Morandarte