Miner, Earl Roy, August 18, 1980

Earl Roy Miner (February 21, 1927 – April 17, 2004) was a professor, scholar, and author born in Marshfield, Wisconsin. After graduating high school toward the end of World War Two, he signed up for an Army college program and was sent to study engineering at the University of Minnesota. With the Army program, he received both basic training and Japanese language training before being sent to Japan in early 1946 without being able to finish his degree. During the occupation, he worked as a clerk/ typist and an interpreter. He left Japan in late 1947, going back to the University of Minnesota where he received his B.A. in Japanese studies. Miner went on to also get his M.A and Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota. In 1953, he started working as an English instructor for Williams College and then taught English from 1955-72 at UCLA. During this time, he taught Japanese at Oxford from 1966-67 as a Fulbright lecturer. In 1972, he became a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Princeton University, where he remained until his retirement in 2002. Earl Miner wrote many books about English and Japanese literature, especially Japanese poetry, throughout his career. In 1994, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon awards from Japan for his commitment to Japanese literature and the Princeton University's Behrman Award in 1993 for his achievements in the humanities. In 2004, Earl Roy Miner passed away at the age of 77.