Alan Keele
Encyclopedia
Alan Frank Keele is an American professor of German
at Brigham Young University
in Provo, Utah
.
, Laramie, Wyoming
, Spanish Fork, Utah
, and Bicknell, Utah
, where he graduated from Wayne High School
in 1960.
Keele is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for which he served as a missionary
for 30 months in Germany, from 1962 to 1964. He has also served in other roles for the church, including as a branch president
, a Bishop, and twice as a high councilor.
Keele is married to Linda Kay Sellers and they have six children.
Keele has participated in various community and civic activities, including on the board of Utahns United Against the Nuclear Arms Race, on the Area Advisory Council for the Alpine School District
, and as chair of the Utah Democratic Forum. With professor Donald K. Jarvis, Keele co-chaired Russian Relief, an organization to collect food and money to help Soviet citizens in need in the early 1990s, for which he received attention from The New York Times
.
with the intent to major in chemistry
. After his missionary service, Keele attended BYU
, where he received his B.A.
in German and History
in 1967. He received his Ph.D.
in German Language and Literature from Princeton University
in 1971.
, the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language, the German Studies Association
, and has chaired the German section of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.
At BYU, Keele has taught German language and literature, and some honors and humanities courses. He received several honors for his academic work, including Honors Professor of the Year in 1992, the Abraham O. Smoot citizenship award in 1995, the Karl G. Maeser General Education Professorship in 1996, and the Alcuin award in 2007. He is currently the Ludwig-Weber-Siebach Chair of German and Humanities.
Among other publications Keele has collaborated with Douglas F. Tobler
, Blair R. Holmes and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
in writing about the activities of Helmuth Hübener
and his associates in defying Hitler. Keele has also written on the works of Günter Grass
.
and the ten Duino Elegies
of Rainer Maria Rilke
, and Walter Kempowski
's novel Dog Days. He also created a 10,000 page concordance of the works of Kempowski.
Keele has also written on topics of interest to the LDS community, such as pre-existence
and the Mormon resistance movement in Nazi Germany
. His book on Helmuth Hübener
is currently being made into a major motion picture starring Haley Joel Osment
. For his body of work, Keele received a Special Award in Criticism from the Association for Mormon Letters
in 2008. With Marvin H. Folsom, Keele has contributed to foreign language texts based on the Bible
and the Book of Mormon
.
The following is a list of some of Keele's publications:.....
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
.
Biography
Keele was born in Provo and attended school in Springville, UtahSpringville, Utah
Springville is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,424 at the 2000 census, while the 2008 estimates placed it at 28,520. Just minutes south of Provo, Springville is a bedroom community for...
, Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
, Spanish Fork, Utah
Spanish Fork, Utah
Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 31,497 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:Spanish Fork was settled by LDS pioneers in 1851...
, and Bicknell, Utah
Bicknell, Utah
Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 353, a slight increase over the 1990 figure of 327.-History:...
, where he graduated from Wayne High School
Wayne High School (Utah)
Wayne High School is a public high school located in Bicknell, Wayne County, Utah. The school serves grades 9-12....
in 1960.
Keele is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for which he served as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for 30 months in Germany, from 1962 to 1964. He has also served in other roles for the church, including as a branch president
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
, a Bishop, and twice as a high councilor.
Keele is married to Linda Kay Sellers and they have six children.
Keele has participated in various community and civic activities, including on the board of Utahns United Against the Nuclear Arms Race, on the Area Advisory Council for the Alpine School District
Alpine School District
Alpine School District is the primary school district in northern Utah County in Utah, including the cities of Lindon, Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Alpine, Highland, Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and Eagle Mountain. It includes all grades from kindergarten all through high school...
, and as chair of the Utah Democratic Forum. With professor Donald K. Jarvis, Keele co-chaired Russian Relief, an organization to collect food and money to help Soviet citizens in need in the early 1990s, for which he received attention from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Education
Keele initially attended the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
with the intent to major in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. After his missionary service, Keele attended BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
, where he received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in German and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in 1967. He received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in German Language and Literature from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1971.
Career
At BYU, Keele has chaired the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and was associate dean of Honors and General Education. He has served on numerous departmental, college, university and professional committees and councils, contributing to the development of BYU's academics and services. Keele has participated in the Modern Language AssociationModern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
, the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language, the German Studies Association
German Studies Association
The German Studies Association is an international organization of scholars in history, literature, economics, culture studies, and political science who study Germany, Austria, and Switzerland...
, and has chaired the German section of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.
At BYU, Keele has taught German language and literature, and some honors and humanities courses. He received several honors for his academic work, including Honors Professor of the Year in 1992, the Abraham O. Smoot citizenship award in 1995, the Karl G. Maeser General Education Professorship in 1996, and the Alcuin award in 2007. He is currently the Ludwig-Weber-Siebach Chair of German and Humanities.
Among other publications Keele has collaborated with Douglas F. Tobler
Douglas F. Tobler
Douglas F. Tobler is an emeritus professor of German and Holocaust history at Brigham Young University .-Biography:Tobler is a native of Cedar City, Utah. He served as a missionary in the Swiss-Austrian Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He has bachelors and masters...
, Blair R. Holmes and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe was a former World War II resistance group member who, as a 17-year-old growing up in Nazi Germany in 1941, was an accomplice in a plan by three German teenagers, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , to distribute information to the citizens of Germany...
in writing about the activities of Helmuth Hübener
Helmuth Hübener
Helmuth Guddat Kunkel Hübener was the youngest opponent of the Third Reich to be sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed.-Life:...
and his associates in defying Hitler. Keele has also written on the works of Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
.
Publishing
Keele has published on postwar German literature, on various social history topics, and two vocabulary dictionaries. He contributed to translations of the 55 Sonnets to OrpheusSonnets to Orpheus
The Sonnets to Orpheus are a cycle of sonnets written by German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke in 1922. He dedicated them as a memorial for Wera Ouckama Knoop , a playmate of Rilke's daughter Ruth.-Form and style:There are 55 sonnets in the sequence, divided into two sections: the first of 26...
and the ten Duino Elegies
Duino Elegies
The Duino Elegies are a set of ten elegies written in German by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke from 1912 to 1922. They are frequently referred to as Rilke's most acclaimed poetic work.-Presentation:...
of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, and Walter Kempowski
Walter Kempowski
Walter Kempowski was a German writer. Kempowski was known for his series of novels called German Chronicle and the monumental Echolot , a collage of autobiographical reports, letters and other documents by contemporary witnesses of the Second World War.-Childhood :Walter Kempowski was born in...
's novel Dog Days. He also created a 10,000 page concordance of the works of Kempowski.
Keele has also written on topics of interest to the LDS community, such as pre-existence
Pre-existence
Pre-existence , beforelife, or pre-mortal existence refers to the belief that each individual human soul existed before conception, and at conception one of these pre-existent souls enters, or is placed by God, in the body...
and the Mormon resistance movement in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. His book on Helmuth Hübener
Helmuth Hübener
Helmuth Guddat Kunkel Hübener was the youngest opponent of the Third Reich to be sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed.-Life:...
is currently being made into a major motion picture starring Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment is an American actor. After a series of roles in television and film during the 1990s, including a small part in Forrest Gump playing Tom Hanks' title character’s son, Osment rose to fame with his performance as Cole Sear in M...
. For his body of work, Keele received a Special Award in Criticism from the Association for Mormon Letters
Association for Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
in 2008. With Marvin H. Folsom, Keele has contributed to foreign language texts based on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
.
The following is a list of some of Keele's publications:.....