Walter Rundell Jr.
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| Born | November 2, 1928
Austin, Texas, USA
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| Died | October 25, 1982 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Known for | Western American History |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BA) Georgetown University (MA, PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Maryland Emory University Columbia University American University Iowa State University University of Oklahoma Texas Women's University Del Mar College |
Walter Rundell Jr. (November 2, 1928 – October 25, 1982) was an American author, academic, and historian who was distinguished in the field of Western American history.[1][2][3]
Rundell was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Olive (née Spillar) and Walter Rundell.[3] He grew up in Baytown, Texas, where he went to public schools.[2] He attended to Lee Junior College (now Lee College) in Baytown, Texas, where his father taught and was a dean.[3][4] At Lee College, he was editor of The Lantern, the student newspaper, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and received its Outstanding Student Award when he graduated in 1948.[2] Then, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with honors in 1951 with a B.A. in music history, a B.J. in journalism, and a minor in history.[2][3][4]
He loved choral singing and wanted to become a music critic.[4] However, he first completed the required military service and was assigned to the U.S. Army Finance Corp as a historian with the Office of the Chief of Finance in Washington, D.C.[4][5] While in the Army, he began working on a graduate degree in history at Georgetown University.[4] He received an M.A. in 1955 and a Ph.D. in 1957.[4] His dissertation was about the U.S. Army's management of money during World War II.[4]
After leaving the military in 1957, Rundell taught at Del Mar College for one year.[4] Next, he taught at the Texas Women's University for three years.[4] While there, he published two books on the American west.[4] From 1961 to 1964, he was the assistant executive secretary with the American Historical AssociationinWashington, D.C.[4] He left that position to become the director of the National Archives' survey on the Use of Original Sources in Graduate History Training.[4] This two-year long position included conducting 600 interviews and traveling across the country to various institutions.[4]
Next, Rundell became a professor of graduate history at the University of Oklahoma.[4][5] Two years later, he moved to the Iowa State University where he served as chair of the history department.[4] At Iowa State, he had to fight to get recognition for the department and his research.[4] In the spring of 1971, he accepted the position of chair of the department of history at the University of Maryland which was a step up because it had a Ph.D. program.[4] He served in this capacity until 1976.[4] He also taught at American University, Columbia University, and Emory University,.[2]
Rundell was a "prolific and productive scholar."[4] He conducted research on a variety of topics, including archival holdings, arts of the American West, biography, military finance, research methods, teaching history, and western oil fields.[4]
Rendell published five books and wrote more than fifteen pamphlets and short books, and more than forty articles.[2][5] When he died, Rendell was writing a biography of American historian Walter Prescott Webb.[5] He published books are:
In 1961, Rendell was a founding member of the Western History Association, being described as "the James Madison of the group, charged with preparing the infant association's constitution and bylaws."[4] He was also a member of the American Historical Association, the Cosmos Club, the Organization of American Historians, the Potomac Corral of the Westerners, the Society of American Archivists, and the Southern Historical Association.[4][6]
Rundell was president of the Society of American Archivists from 1977-1978.[3] In 1982, three days before his death, he became president of the Western History Association.[4]
Rundell married Deanna Alyce Boyd on June 12, 1959, in Lewisville, Texas.[8] She was a graduate of Texas Women's University where Rundell was teaching.[8] They had three children—Jennifer, David, and Shelley.[4]
Rundell was a member of First United Methodist Church in Hyattsville, Maryland.[1] Although he left music for history, he never lost his love of it.[4] He joined the National Cathedral Choral Society, the University of Maryland chorus, and the choir of First United Methodist Church.[1]
He died of a heart attack in 1982 at his home in University Park, Maryland.[4][1]
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