Rosane:

W. N. Brown's obituary appears here:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/horace-irvin-poleman-19051965/89EDACB107E699F92B379D1FF13C9CA8

There are a few sites that have similar information. From:

https://whowaswho-indology.info/4828/poleman-horace-irvin/

POLEMAN, Horace Irvin

 19. März 2017

POLEMAN, Horace Irvin. Philadelphia 5.9.1905 — Washington DC 8.11.1965. U.S. Indologist. Librarian in Washington DC. Studies at University of Pennsylvania: 1927 Phi Beta Kappa graduate, A.B. 1927, M.A. 1929 in classical languages, Ph.D. 1933 in Indic Studies (under W. N. Brown). In 1928-29 teacher. In 1933-38 research Associate in American Council of Learned Associate preparing the manuscript catalogue, in 1934-35 also Instructor in Sanskrit and Research Fellow at University of Pennsylvania, in 1937-38 Research fellow at Yale. From 1938 working in Congress Library: 1938-42 Special Consultant of Indic Studies, 1942-49 and again 1952-55 Head of South Asia Section in the Oriental Division, 1955-65 A. W. Hummel’s successor as the head of Oriental Division. In 1949-52 Cultural Officer at American Embassy in New Delhi. Married 1939 with Jenny Elizabeth Falk, two sons.

Publications: “The Ritualistic Continuity of Ṛgveda X, 14-18”, JAOS 54, 1934, 276-281; with Ph. Q. Roche: “Aspects of Caesarean Section in India”, JAOS 59, 1939, 17-21

– A Census of Indic MSS. in the United States and Canada. 29+542 p. A.O.S. 12. New Haven 1938.

– The Preta Concept in Hindu Thought and Ritual. 1945.

– Bibliography from articles. Middle Eastern Studies. 1948.

– A Survey of Tibetan Xylographs and Manuscripts in Institutions and Private Collections in the United States and Canada. 38 p. 1961.

Sources: JAOS 85, 1965, 618; Dir. Am. Sch. 3rd ed. 1957; *Nat. Cyclop. 53, 19??, 202.




On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 11:21 AM Rocher, Rosane D via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Allen,

Thanks.  I was sleepy as well.  His middle initial was I for Irvin, not J., as I wrote.  It is a shame that LC did not preserve his file.  I wish we knew more about him.  With his census of Sanskrit MSS and his Union List of Printed Books, he marks the beginning of an era in Indian studies in North America.  I never knew him, but his teacher, W. Norman Brown spoke of him.  Do you or anyone on the list know the date(s) of his retirement from LC and of his death?  I wish I had asked more questions back in the sixties...

Rosane

On 11/1/18 10:37 AM, Allen Thrasher wrote:
Dear Rosane,

Thanks for the correction, and my apologies.  I was sleepy.  I am of course intensely aware of Poleman, and a great regret of mine is that the files on his initial purchasing trip to Southern Asia for the Library of Congress, and the chronological file for his entire career there, were not preserv3rd.

Allen
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