Bergen Evans

Bergen Evans in 1954

Bergen Baldwin Evans(September 19, 1904 – February 4, 1978) was aNorthwestern Universityprofessor of English and atelevisionhost. He received aGeorge Foster Peabody Awardin 1957 for excellence in broadcasting for hisCBSTV seriesThe Last Word.

Life and career

Bergen Evans was born inFranklin, Ohio,the son of Rice Kemper Evans, a doctor, and Louise Cass Evans. He received a bachelor of arts degree in 1924 fromMiami University.He received his master's degree (1925) and doctorate (1932) from Harvard University, and was aRhodes ScholaratUniversity College, Oxford,in 1930. He was married to Jean Whinery on August 5, 1939.

Evans began his teaching career as an instructor of English at Northwestern University in September 1932, and he remained there until his retirement in 1974. An author of short stories, he also was a feature writer forThe American Mercury(1947–1950) and wrote a column called "The Skeptics Corner".

Evans became known as the question supervisor, or "authority", for thetelevision series$64,000 Question.His books includeWord-A-Day Vocabulary Builder(1963), and the annotatedDictionary of Quotations(1968).

In the first half of the 1953–1954 television season, Evans hosted theABCpanel discussion seriesOf Many Things,which items of interest to the public.Mitch Miller,the band leader, was among his guests.Bergen also hosted theDuMontversion ofDown You Go(1951–1955).

Evans'sA Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage(1957), cowritten with his sister Cornelia, produced an apparent spin-off: the television showThe Last Word,which he hosted Sundays onCBS,from 1957 to 1959.

Viewers were encouraged to send in questions that pertain to spelling, punctuation, usage and pronunciation. These questions were put to a panel of experts from various professional fields. Sound recordings of broadcasts for May 18 and May 25, 1957, are archived with theLibrary of Congress.

InThe New Yorker,Phyllis McGinleywrote, "I'd take more pleasure in discussions schola'ly / If Bergen Evans wouldn't laugh so jollily."

A July 1958 essay by Evans forthe New York Times Magazine,in which he denounced the use ofclichés,prompted an amiable rejoinder a month later by writer and naturalistJoseph Wood Krutch,who defended their use.

Evans received aGeorge Foster Peabody Awardin 1957 for excellence in broadcasting forThe Last Word.The Peabody citation reads, "It is entertainment and public service—made so by the wit, charm, and erudition of Bergen Evans,John Mason Brown,and their distinguished guest panelists. This sparkling weekly discussion of words, the basis of all understanding and progress, makes it clear that learning can be fun, and that educational programs do not have to be dull. "

Evans died February 4, 1978, inHighland Park, Illinois.

Skepticism

A proponent ofskepticism,Evans penned two works in the field,The Natural History of Nonsense(1946) andThe Spoor of Spooks and Other Nonsense(1954).The latter book contained a chapter criticizingparapsychologyand the experiments ofJ. B. Rhine.Science writerMartin Gardnergave the book a positive review describing it as a "hilarious blast at human gullibility... a witty compendium of mistaken beliefs, scientific and otherwise."

Published works

• Comfortable Words.Illustrated by Tomi Ungerer (New York: Random House, 1962) 379 p. illus. 24 cm.
• A Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage,by Bergen Evans and Cornelia Evans (New York: Random House, 1957) viii, 567 p. 26 cm.
• Dictionary of Mythology, Mainly Classical(Lincoln, Neb.: Centennial Press, 1970) xviii, 293 p. illus. 22 cm.
• Dictionary of Quotations,collected and arranged and with comments by Bergen Evans (New York: Delacorte Press, 1968) lxxxix, 2029 p. 24 cm.
• Fifty Essays, edited by Bergen Evans(Boston: Little, Brown, 1936) xii, 363 p. 19½ cm.
• The Life of Samuel Johnson;Boswell, James, 1740–1795 abridged, with an introduction by Bergen Evans (New York, Modern Library, 1952) xv, [1], 559 p. 19 cm.
• The Making of English.Bradley, Henry, 1845–1923. With an introd. by Bergen Evans, and additional material and notes by Bergen Evans and Simeon Potter (New York: Walker, 1967) vii, 209 p. 21 cm.
• The Natural History of Nonsense,by Bergen Evans (New York: A. A. Knopf, 1946) ix, 275, x p., 1 leaf. 22 cm.
• The Psychiatry of Robert Burton,by Bergen Evans, in consultation withGeorge J. Mohr,M.D. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1944) ix p., 1 leaf, 129 p. frontispiece (portrait, facsimile) 23 cm.
• The Spoor of Spooks, and Other Nonsense.(New York: A. A. Knopf, 1954) 295 p. 22 cm.
• The Word-A-Day Vocabulary Builder(New York: Random House, 1963) viii, 216 p. 24 cm.
• Your Car is Made to Last,by Herman Bishop and Bergen Evans (New York: Putnam, 1942) xi, 186 p. 20 cm.

External links

• Quotations related toBergen Evansat Wikiquote
• Bergen Evans (1904–1978) PAPERS, 1921–1978.biography is attached to the holdings inventory.
• Bergen EvansatFind a Grave