Robert L. Chapman
Encyclopedia
Robert Lundquist Chapman (December 28, 1920–January 27, 2002, age 81) was an American English professor who edited several dictionaries and thesauri
.
Chapman was born in Huntington, West Virginia
to Curtis W. Chapman, a typewriter mechanic, and Cecelia Lundquist Chapman, a homemaker. Chapman graduated from Detroit Cooley High School in 1939. As a young man, he worked in factories and drove a truck, then enrolled at the University of Michigan
to study English literature. One of his teachers at Michigan was the poet W.H. Auden. Chapman's college career was interrupted by World War II
, when he served in Europe with the United States Army
. He returned to Michigan afterwards and received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees.
Over the years, Chapman taught English at Cornell University
, Oswego State Teachers College
, Wilkes College
, and Drew University
, with whom he became a professor emeritus in 1986. He specialized in medieval literature
, and was jokingly said to resemble Geoffrey Chaucer
in appearance. Between his teaching jobs, Chapman held various full-time editing positions. From 1960 to 1964, he worked for Funk & Wagnalls, where he served as a supervising editor for Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary. He also had a brief stint with Holt, Rinehart & Winston, for whom he helped edit the 1966 release of the Holt Intermediate Dictionary of American English.
Chapman is arguably best remembered for editing the fourth and fifth editions of Roget's Thesaurus
, published by Harper Collins in 1977 and 1992. Chapman chose to retain Roget's original system of numbered categories rather than use an alphabetical system, which he found "jejune". To the fifth edition, he added thirty new categories and over 50,000 new words, such as ecosystem
and yuppie
. Chapman also edited Harper Collins' New Dictionary of American Slang (1986), the Thesaurus of American Slang (1989), and Roget A to Z (1994). Barbara Ann Kipfer
, who edited the sixth edition of Roget's Thesaurus, noted that Chapman was one of the first lexicographers to regularly use computer databases to study words as used in the popular press.
Chapman lived in Madison, New Jersey
, and died in nearby Morristown
in 2002 after battling a long illness. He was survived by his wife and three sons. In an obituary, Paul Farhi of The Washington Post
wrote, "On behalf of blocked writers everywhere, we salute Mr. Chapman. We also doff our caps, raise a toast, sing his praises, acclaim, commend and laud him."
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations...
.
Chapman was born in Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
to Curtis W. Chapman, a typewriter mechanic, and Cecelia Lundquist Chapman, a homemaker. Chapman graduated from Detroit Cooley High School in 1939. As a young man, he worked in factories and drove a truck, then enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to study English literature. One of his teachers at Michigan was the poet W.H. Auden. Chapman's college career was interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when he served in Europe with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He returned to Michigan afterwards and received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees.
Over the years, Chapman taught English at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Oswego State Teachers College
State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario...
, Wilkes College
Wilkes University
Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students...
, and Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
, with whom he became a professor emeritus in 1986. He specialized in medieval literature
Medieval literature
Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
, and was jokingly said to resemble Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
in appearance. Between his teaching jobs, Chapman held various full-time editing positions. From 1960 to 1964, he worked for Funk & Wagnalls, where he served as a supervising editor for Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary. He also had a brief stint with Holt, Rinehart & Winston, for whom he helped edit the 1966 release of the Holt Intermediate Dictionary of American English.
Chapman is arguably best remembered for editing the fourth and fifth editions of Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus is a widely-used English language thesaurus, created by Dr. Peter Mark Roget in 1805 and released to the public on 29 April 1852. The original edition had 15,000 words, and each new edition has been larger...
, published by Harper Collins in 1977 and 1992. Chapman chose to retain Roget's original system of numbered categories rather than use an alphabetical system, which he found "jejune". To the fifth edition, he added thirty new categories and over 50,000 new words, such as ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
and yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
. Chapman also edited Harper Collins' New Dictionary of American Slang (1986), the Thesaurus of American Slang (1989), and Roget A to Z (1994). Barbara Ann Kipfer
Barbara Ann Kipfer
Barbara Ann Kipfer is a linguist and lexicographer. She has written more than 45 books, including 14,000 Things to be Happy About , which has more than a million copies in print and has given rise to many Page-a-Day calendars. She was the editor of the sixth edition of Roget's International...
, who edited the sixth edition of Roget's Thesaurus, noted that Chapman was one of the first lexicographers to regularly use computer databases to study words as used in the popular press.
Chapman lived in Madison, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
, and died in nearby Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
in 2002 after battling a long illness. He was survived by his wife and three sons. In an obituary, Paul Farhi of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote, "On behalf of blocked writers everywhere, we salute Mr. Chapman. We also doff our caps, raise a toast, sing his praises, acclaim, commend and laud him."