Don Yoder research papers

Donald M. Yoder was a prominent scholar, folklorist, and author specializing in Pennsylvania folklife, recognized for establishing the term “folklife” in American academics. Yoder was born to a Pennsylvania Dutch family in Altoona, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1921, and childhood exposure to Pennsylvania Dutch culture greatly inspired his life and career. Yoder earned a B.A. in History from Franklin and Marshall College in 1942 and a B.D. in 1945 from the University of Chicago, followed by a Ph.D. Religious Studies in 1947. He was employed at the Union Theological Seminary in New York (1946-1948), Muhlenberg College (1948-1949), Franklin and Marshall College (1949-1956), and most notably the University of Pennsylvania (1956-1996). In his position at Franklin and Marshall, Yoder co-founded the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center (later Pennsylvania Folklife Society) and associated journal The Pennsylvania Dutchman (later Pennsylvania Folklife) in 1949. One of the Folklife Society’s most enduring legacies was Yoder’s 1950 co-founding of the Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival (now Kutztown Folk Festival), which influenced the development of subsequent folk festivals across America. During his 41 year tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, Yoder was a critical element in the establishment of the Department of Folklore and Folklife. Throughout his career, Yoder authored hundreds of publications, including some about Quaker history and material culture. There were Quakers in his personal and family network, notably the Wickersham family (Yoder's Grandfather, Wharton M. Cronister, was the first cousin of Edward W. Wickersham). Yoder was recognized for his scholarship with an honorary doctoral degree from Kutztown University in 2011 shortly before he died in 2015 at the age of 93.