Robin W. Winks (December 5, 1930 in
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
– April 7, 2003 in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
) was an American academic,
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
, diplomat, writer on the subject of
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
, especially
detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
s, and advocate for the National Parks. After joining the faculty of
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 1957, he rose in 1996-1999 to become the
Randolph Townsend
Randolph Townsend (born January 24, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Republican Party politician from Nevada. From 1982 to 2010, he served as a member of the Nevada Senate, representing Washoe County District 4map. He served from ...
Professor of History and Master of
Berkeley College
Berkeley College is a Private college, private for-profit college with campuses in New York (state), New York, New Jersey, and online. It was founded in 1931 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs. Berkeley Coll ...
. At
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
he served as George Eastman Professor in 1992-3, and as
Harmsworth Visiting Professor of American History in 1999-2000.
Background
Born in Indiana in 1930, Winks graduated
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
and
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
from the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
in 1952. As a
Fulbright Scholar
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
in New Zealand he earned a master's degree in Maori studies from
Victoria University before returning to the University of Colorado to earn a second master's degree in ethnography. He then earned a Ph.D. from
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
in 1957 with a dissertation on Canadian and American relations. After a year of teaching at Connecticut College, he joined the faculty at Yale in 1957, where he remained for the rest of his career. He held visiting lectureships and conducted research at universities around the nation and the world, including at Sydney University in 1963 where he lectured memorably on American History, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Middle East. He was on leave 1969-71 to serve as U.S. Cultural Attache to the American Embassy in London, and was a regular adviser to various governmental agencies.
Winks was a Fellow of the
Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
, the
Society of American Historians
The Society of American Historians, founded in 1939, encourages and honors literary distinction in the writing of history and biography about American topics. The approximately 300 members include professional historians, independent scholars, jou ...
, the
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history.
Origins
The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...
, the
Royal Commonwealth Society
The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...
, and a member of both the
Athenaeum Club and
Special Forces Club
The Special Forces Club (SFC) is a private members' club located at 8 Herbert Crescent in Knightsbridge, London. Initially established in 1945 for former personnel of the Special Operations Executive, members of wartime resistance organisations, ...
. He was a
Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
, a
Smith-Mundt Fellow, a
Stimson Grant winner Stimson may refer to:
* Charles Stimson (born 1963), American Pentagon official
* Frederic Jesup Stimson (1855–1943), American diplomat
* Gerry Stimson, British public health social scientist
* Henry L. Stimson (1867–1950), American statesman
* ...
. In 1989 he won the
Donner Medal Donner may refer to: Places
* Donner (crater), a lunar crater
* Mount Donner, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
* Donner, California, an unincorporated community near Donner Pass, United States
* Donner Lake, in California
* Donner Memor ...
from the
Association for Canadian Studies in the United States
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
.
Winks held offices and committee chairmanships in the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
, the
Canadian Historical Association
The Canadian Historical Association (CHA; French ''Société historique du Canada'', SHC) is a Canadian organization founded in 1922 for the purposes of promoting historical research and scholarship. It is a bilingual, not-for-profit, charitable ...
, the
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...
et al. He was honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters from the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
and from the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
.
Winks died in 2003 in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
.
National Parks
Winks was a lover of the outdoors and spent much of his career advocating for the protection of open spaces. He served as chair of the National Parks System Advisory Board, and in 1988, was awarded the Department of the Interior’s Conservationist of the Year Award. In 1998, he became the first person to have visited all of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
units (there were 376 at that time).
In 1999, the
National Parks Conservation Association
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is the only independent, nonpartisan membership organization devoted exclusively to advocacy on behalf of the National Parks System. Its mission is "to protect and enhance America's National Pa ...
honored him with its first award for contributions to public education on behalf of the national parks. They subsequently established the honor as an annual award named the
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Robin Winks,
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
/
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
encompasses roughly 180 works in 460 publications in six languages and 24,000+ library holdings.
WorldCat Identities
Winks, Robin W.
/ref>
* ''Recent Trends and New Literature in Canadian History''; five editions published between 1959 and 1967 in English
* ''Canada and the United States: The Civil War Years'' (McGill-Queen's Press, 1960); six editions published between 1960 and 1998 in Englis
* ''British Imperialism: Gold, God, Glory''; five editions published between 1963 and 1973 in Englis
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* ''The Historiography of the British Empire–Commonwealth: Trends, Interpretations and Resources;'' two editions published in 1966 in English
* ''Malaysia: Selected Historical Readings'' (with John Bastin) (Oxford University Press, 1966
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* ''The Age of Imperialism'' (Prentice-Hall, 1969); two editions published in 1969 in Englis
* ''The Historian as Detective: Essays on Evidence'' (New York: Harper & Row, 1969); published in 1969 in Englis
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* ''Pastmasters: Some Essays on American Historians'' (with Marcus Cunliffe
Marcus Falkner Cunliffe (1922–1990) was a British scholar who specialized in cultural and military American Studies. He was particularly interested in comparing how Europeans viewed Americans and how Americans viewed Europeans.It was in the US ...
) (New York: Harper & Row, 1969
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* ''The Myth of the American Frontier: Its Relevance to America, Canada and Australia'' (Leicester University Press, 1971
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* '' The Blacks in Canada: A History'' (McGill-Queen's Press, 1971); 12 editions published between 1971 and 2004 in Englis
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* ''Slavery: a Comparative Perspective; Readings on Slavery from Ancient Times to the Present''; published in 1972 in English
* ''An American's Guide to Britain''; five editions published between 1977 and 1987 in English
* ''Other Voices, Other Views: An International Collection of Essays from the Bicentennial'' (Greenwood Press, 1978
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* ''The Relevance of Canadian History: U.S. and Imperial perspectives ' (Macmillan of Canada: 1979
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* ''The American Identity: Fusion and Fragmentation'' (ed. Robin W. Winks, Sacvan Bercovitch
Sacvan Bercovitch (October 4, 1933 – December 8, 2014) was a Canadian literary and cultural critic who spent most of his life teaching and writing in the United States. During an academic career spanning five decades, he was considered to be one ...
, and Rob Kroes) (University of Amsterdam, 1980
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* ''Detective Fiction: A Collection of Critical Essays'' (Prentice-Hall, 1980); four editions published between 1980 and 1988 in Englis
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* ''Modus Operandi: An Excursion into Detective Fiction (Boston: D.R. Godine, 1981); three editions published between 1981 and 1990 in Englis
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* ''Colloquium on Crime: Eleven Renowned Mystery Writers Discuss their Work''; published in 1986 in Englis
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* ''The Lily and the Lion: Royal France, Great Britain'' (with Philip Mansel
Philip Mansel (born 1951) is a historian of courts and cities, and the author of a number of books about the history of France and the Ottoman Empire. He was born in London in 1951 and educated at Eton College, Balliol College, Oxford, and obtain ...
) (Boston Publishing Company, 1987
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* ''Cloak & Gown: Scholars in the Secret War, 1939–1961'' (Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
: 1987); eight editions published between 1987 and 1996 in Englis
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* ''A History of Civilization'' (Prentice-Hall, 1988
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* ''Asia in Western Fiction'' (with James R. Rush) (University of Hawaii Press, 1990
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* ''Frederick Billings: A Life'' (Oxford University Press, 1991); three editions published between 1991 and 1998 in English and Undetermine
* ''Asia in Western Fiction'' (with James R. Rush); six editions published between 1989 and 1990 in English
* ''The Historiography of the British Empire-Commonwealth: Trends, Interpretations, and Resources'' (Aldershot: Gregg Revivals, 1995
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* ''Laurance S. Rockefeller: Catalyst for Conservation;'' four editions published in 1997 in English
* ''Mystery and Suspense Writers: the Literature of Crime, Detection, and Espionage'' (New York: Scribner's Sons, 1998); two editions published in 1998 in English and held by 1,175 libraries worldwid
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* ''Europe, Crisis and Conflict: 1890–1945'' (with R.J.Q. Adams) (Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2003)
* ''The Ancient Mediterranean World: From the Stone Age to A.D. 600'' (with Susan P. Mattern) (Oxford University Press, 2004
* ''Europe, 1648-1815: From the Old Regime to the Age of Revolution'' (with Thomas E. Kaiser) (Oxford University Press, 2004
* ''Medieval Europe and the World: From Late Antiquity to Modernity, 400-1500'' (with Teofilo F. Ruiz) (Oxford University Press, 2005
* ''Europe and the Making of Modernity: 1815-1914'' (with Joan Neuberger
Joan Neuberger is an American historian. She obtained a bachelor's degree in Russian literature at Grinnell College in 1975, and a doctorate in Russian history at Stanford University at 1985. She now teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, wh ...
) (Oxford University Press, 2005
Notes
References
* Adrian, Jack
"Professor Robin Winks; Historian of unusually varied interests,"
''The Independent'' (London). April 12, 2003.
* Edmonds, Douglas
"Robin Winks: An Appreciation,"
''American Review of Canadian Studies,'' Vol. 34, 2004.
* Lewis, Paul
''New York Times.'' April 10, 2003.
* Reinstein, Gila
"In Memoriam: Robin Winks,"
''Yale Bulletin & Calendar'' (University Office of Public Affairs). April 8, 2003.
* Winks, Robin W. (1996). ''Cloak & Gown: Scholars in the Secret War, 1939–1961.'' New Haven: Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
. ;
Archival records
* C. Vann Woodward papers, 1804–2000. Yale University
* Robin William Winks papers, 1950–2001. Yale University
* Records of the Bicentennial Committee for International Conferences of Americanists, 1973–1977 by Bicentennial Committee for International Conferences of Americanists.
* Records of the United States Bicentennial Committee, Yale University, 1970–1977. Yale University
External links
New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
* Fulbright New Zealand
Robin W. and Avril Flockton Winks Award
''2009 Grantees Booklet,'' p. 10.
*Robin Winks papers (MS 336). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Librar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winks, Robin W.
1930 births
2003 deaths
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
Historians of Canada
Historians of Australia
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Yale University faculty
Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professors of American History
Historians from Indiana
20th-century American male writers