LINGUIST List 22.3952 Mon Oct 10 2011 All: Obituary: Eunice Pike Editor for this issue: Elyssa Winzeler <elyssalinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm Directory         1.     Brian O'Herin , Obituary: Eunice Pike Message 1: Obituary: Eunice Pike Date: 05-Oct-2011 From: Brian O'Herin <brian_oherinsil.org> Subject: Obituary: Eunice Pike E-mail this message to a friend Born 6 November 1913 in East Woodstock, Connecticut, Eunice V. Pike was the youngest of eight children born to Hattie May Granniss and Ernest R. Pike, a country doctor. After graduating from Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in 1936, she entered the training program of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL). Eunice's brother, noted linguist and scholar Kenneth L. Pike, PhD, had begun linguistic fieldwork in Mexico the previous year. Eunice followed in his footsteps, beginning her own work with language communities in another part of Oaxaca state. Though separated in the early years of their work by a journey involving a three or four day walk, Eunice and Ken sometimes collaborated on projects. Eunice Pike enjoyed a long and distinguished career. She and her co-worker Florence Hansen (UCLA), were the first single women to serve with SIL. With Eunice's background in nursing and Florence's knowledge of languages, they were considered an ideal team. They took up residence in a Mazatec town in October of 1936 to begin language development work. Eunice would live there off and on until 1979, joined by a number of other co-workers following Florence's marriage in the 1940s. In addition to her linguistic work among the Mazatec, Eunice traveled all over the world as an SIL consultant, helping colleagues with challenges they encountered in their linguistic research. She specialized in analyzing sound systems and developing alphabets until her retirement in 1998. She authored or co-authored more than sixty-five books and articles related to linguistics, her life among the Mazatec and other subjects. Eunice Pike died 18 August at the age of ninety-seven due to complications from a fall. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Evelyn G. Pike, numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Linguistic Field(s): Not Applicable Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 10-Oct-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.