Willard Anderson Hanna (August 3, 1911 – October 5, 1993) was an American writer of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n history and works of fiction as well as a teacher. Hanna wrote politics, history, and historical fiction. He wrote ''Bali Chronicles'' with Adrian Vickers. Hanna co-authored ''Turbulent Times Past in Ternate and Tidore'' on the history of the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...

and Banda Neira with Des Alwi.

Biography

He was from

Cross Creek, Pennsylvania Cross Creek is a census-designated place located in Cross Creek Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Cross Creek Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Washington County in the state of Pennsylvania. The community is located in norther ...

, and graduated from the

College of Wooster {{Infobox university , image = College of Wooster seal.png , image_upright = .6 , name = The College of Wooster , former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915) , motto ...

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

, in 1932."Willard A. Hanna, 82, an Author and an Expert on Southeast Asia"
by Randy Kennedy, October 8, 1993,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

He traveled to China and taught English for four years in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

before returning to the United States and achieving a master's degree from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in 1937 and a Ph.D. from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1939. He joined the Navy in early 1942 and served at the military's Japanese language school at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

and then at a military program at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He was part of the landings on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

on April 1, 1945 (

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

) as a lieutenant commander, and remained in Okinawa for more than a year. His work there included helping establish schools. He continued his career at the U.S. State Department for seven years, working in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, where he established the United States Information Services offices which he ran until 1952. In Washington, D.C., he graduated from the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

in 1953 and was deployed to the United States Embassy in Tokyo as an information officer. He resigned from the State Department in 1954 and worked for the American Universities Field Staff in Jakarta,

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

before he retired in 1976. He married Marybelle Bouchard. Hanna died in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

, on October 5, 1993, at the age of 82.

Bibliography

* ''Destiny Has Eight Eyes'' (1941) Harper & Brothers, a novel set in China at the outbreak of World War II * ''Bali Profile: People, Events, Circumstances 1001-1976'' (Jun 1976) * ''The Formation of Malaysia'' * ''Eight Nation Makers'' * ''Indonesian Banda: Colonialism and its aftermath in the Nutmeg Islands'' (1978) * ''The Berkshire-Litchfield legacy: Litchfield, Ancram, Salisbury, Stockbridge, Lenox'' by (1984) * ''Hikayat Jakarta'' (1988) * ''Turbulent times past in Ternate and Tidore'' (1990) * ''Bali Chronicles: A Lively Account of the Island's History from Early Times to the 1970's'' (Periplus Classics Series) by Willard A. Hanna and Adrian Vickers (November 15, 2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanna, Willard A. Historians from Pennsylvania University of Michigan alumni 1993 deaths People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Columbia University alumni College of Wooster alumni Ohio State University alumni Historians of Southeast Asia 1911 births 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers National War College alumni United States Department of State officials 20th-century American male writers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Military personnel from Pennsylvania