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E.C. Beck Collection of Michigan Songs
Earl Clifton "E.C." or "Doc" Beck began his lifelong
study of northern Michigan lumberjacks in the 1930s. He collected their songs,
stories, and dances through the 1940s, urging the 70- and 80 year-old former lumber
workers to let him collect and publish the material before it disappeared. Doc,
who was honored with a Michigan Heritage Award, taught English and folklore at
Central Michigan University, where he also chaired the English department. He
died in 1977 at the age of 85.
Beck's collection of materials includes examples of field notes, photographs,
transcriptions, and reel-to-reel interview with Beck by Dr. Ellen Stekert. This
collection was originally housed at the Wayne State University Folklore Archive
and was transferred to Michigan State University Museum in 2001.
[NOTE: For a biographical sketch and photo of E. C. Beck, see Michigan Heritage
Awards website
http://museum.msu.edu/s-program/MH_awards/mha.html
Collectors:
E. C. Beck, Ellen Stekert.
Donor:
Wayne State University Folklore Archives
Publications:
E. C. Beck. Songs of the Michigan Lumberjacks. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University
of Michigan Press, 1942.
E. C. Beck. Lore of the Lumber Camps. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University
of Michigan Press, 1948.
E. C. Beck. They Knew Paul Bunyan. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University
of Michigan Press, 1956.
Kozma, LuAnne Gaykowski. "E.C. Beck: Collector of Michigan Lumberjack
Lore" in 1991
Festival of Michigan Folklife,
edited by Yvonne R. Lockwood and Marsha MacDowell, East Lansing, Mich.:
MSU Museum, pp. 30-34.
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