Wilfred J. Funk
Encyclopedia
Wilfred John Funk was an author, poet
, lexicographer, and publisher. He was president of Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940, and founder of publishing company Wilfred Funk, Inc.
. He graduated from Princeton
in 1909, and joined the family firm. He married Eleanor Hawkins on 29 July 1915.
He had a wealthy lifestyle. His main residence was in Montclair, New Jersey
, a suburb of Manhattan
. His beach house
"Cobble Court" in Southampton
was a society venue in the Hamptons summer season. Several tax-efficient trusts Funk created for his wife were the subject of dispute with the Tax Office, ending in a Court of Appeals
decision in 1950.
His son Wilfred J. Funk, Jr was killed in August 1943 in Operation Cottage
, the assault on Kiska
in World War II
.
Wilfred Funk died of arteriosclerosis
in Montclair.
described him as "titular president, but famed only for light verse". He had poems printed in the New York Evening Sun in 1928–9, and one called "Oh, Doctor!" in The New Yorker
in 1930, whose opening lines were:
In 1932, he publicized his firm's dictionary with a list of the ten most beautiful words in the English language, having regard for both sound and meaning.
In 1934, he listed the "ten modern Americans who have done most to keep American jargon alive":
In 1937, he listed the ten most overworked
words:
He received an honorary Doctor of Letters
degree in 1932 from Oglethorpe University
.
of Funk & Wagnalls' magazine The Literary Digest. The Digest polled its readers regarding the outcome of the 1936 presidential election
, and put Alf Landon
at 56%; in fact he got only 36% of the vote. AIPO
predicted not only the correct result, but also the result of the Digest poll. Funk had desired a wider poll with greater cross-checking, but the costs were prohibitive. He had not questioned the poll's fundamentally flawed methodology, and derided George Gallup
of AIPO as "our fine statistical friend". Though Funk and the Digest were good-humored and self-deprecating about the embarrassment, it hastened the Digests decline. Funk and Cuddihy sold the Digest to Albert Shaw
in June 1937 for $200,000. Funk in turn got "a very good chuckle" when Gallup failed to predict the 1948 presidential election
result.
"Popular Guide to Desirable Living". At 25¢ an issue, it contained articles such as "Be Glad Your Wife's Neurotic" and "Why Commit Suicide?". Circulation ran to more than 100,000, with spin-off titles Your Personality and Your Health. The success of the magazine allowed him to start his own book publishing business in 1940, Wilfred Funk, Inc.
Funk wrote numerous books on vocabulary
and etymology
aimed at a general audience. He favored descriptive linguistics
over linguistic prescription
, stating "Let's throw the old textbooks out the window, along with the words correct and incorrect, because there's really no such thing as grammar, but only an ever-changing language pattern formed by everyday usage". In 1942, he co-wrote 30 Days to a more Powerful Vocabulary with Norman Lewis; total sales to 1968 were claimed at 4.7m. In 1945, he created the Reader's Digest
feature "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power". His son Peter continued this from 1962 to 1998.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, lexicographer, and publisher. He was president of Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940, and founder of publishing company Wilfred Funk, Inc.
Personal life
Funk was the only son of Funk & Wagnalls' founder Isaac Kaufmann FunkIsaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk was an American Lutheran minister, editor, lexicographer, publisher, and spelling reformer. He was the co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company, the father of author Wilfred J. Funk, and the grandfather of author Peter Funk...
. He graduated from Princeton
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 1909, and joined the family firm. He married Eleanor Hawkins on 29 July 1915.
He had a wealthy lifestyle. His main residence was in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, a suburb of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. His beach house
Beach house
A beach house is a house on or near a beach, generally used as a vacation or second home for people who commute to the house on weekends or during vacation periods....
"Cobble Court" in Southampton
Southampton (town), New York
The Town of Southampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, U.S., partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town had a total population of 54,712...
was a society venue in the Hamptons summer season. Several tax-efficient trusts Funk created for his wife were the subject of dispute with the Tax Office, ending in a Court of Appeals
United States courts of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
decision in 1950.
His son Wilfred J. Funk, Jr was killed in August 1943 in Operation Cottage
Operation Cottage
Operation Cottage was a tactical maneuver during the Aleutian Islands campaign. In the operation, which took place on August 15, 1943, Allied military forces landed unopposed on Kiska Island, which had been occupied by Japanese forces since June, 1942. The Japanese forces, however, had secretly...
, the assault on Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
in 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...
.
Wilfred Funk died of arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of arteries.Arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening of medium or large arteries It should not be confused with "arteriolosclerosis" or "atherosclerosis".Also known by the name "myoconditis" which is...
in Montclair.
Early work
Funk became president of Funk & Wagnalls in 1925. In 1933, Time magazineTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
described him as "titular president, but famed only for light verse". He had poems printed in the New York Evening Sun in 1928–9, and one called "Oh, Doctor!" in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
in 1930, whose opening lines were:
- Mastoids, sinuses, and such
- Bother children overmuch
In 1932, he publicized his firm's dictionary with a list of the ten most beautiful words in the English language, having regard for both sound and meaning.
- dawn, hush, lullaby, murmuring, tranquil, mist, luminous, chimes, golden, melody
In 1934, he listed the "ten modern Americans who have done most to keep American jargon alive":
- Sime SilvermanSime SilvermanSime Silverman was an American newspaper publisher best known as the founder of the weekly Variety in New York in 1905 and the Hollywood-based Daily Variety in 1933....
, H. L. MenckenH. L. MenckenHenry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
, Tad Dorgan, Walter WinchellWalter WinchellWalter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
, Arthur "Bugs" Baer, Ring LardnerRing LardnerRinggold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
, Damon RunyonDamon RunyonAlfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
, Gelett BurgessGelett BurgessFrank Gelett Burgess was an artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. An important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark, he is best known as a writer of nonsense verse...
, George AdeGeorge AdeGeorge Ade was an American writer, newspaper columnist, and playwright.-Biography:Ade was born in Kentland, Indiana, one of seven children raised by John and Adaline Ade. While attending Purdue University, he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity...
, and Gene BuckGene BuckEdward Eugene Buck was an American illustrator of sheet music, musical theater lyricist, and president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers .-Early career:...
In 1937, he listed the ten most overworked
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
words:
- okayOkay"Okay" is a colloquial English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, or acknowledgment. "Okay" has frequently turned up as a loanword in many other languages...
, terrific, lousy, definitely, racket, gal, honey, swell, contact, impact
He received an honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
degree in 1932 from Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
.
Literary Digest
In March 1936 Funk became editor in chiefEditor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of Funk & Wagnalls' magazine The Literary Digest. The Digest polled its readers regarding the outcome of the 1936 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1936
The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took...
, and put Alf Landon
Alf Landon
Alfred Mossman "Alf" Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
at 56%; in fact he got only 36% of the vote. AIPO
The Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
predicted not only the correct result, but also the result of the Digest poll. Funk had desired a wider poll with greater cross-checking, but the costs were prohibitive. He had not questioned the poll's fundamentally flawed methodology, and derided George Gallup
George Gallup
George Horace Gallup was an American pioneer of survey sampling techniques and inventor of the Gallup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion.-Biography:...
of AIPO as "our fine statistical friend". Though Funk and the Digest were good-humored and self-deprecating about the embarrassment, it hastened the Digests decline. Funk and Cuddihy sold the Digest to Albert Shaw
Albert Shaw (journalist)
Albert Shaw was a prominent American journalist and academic of the early 20th century.-Life:Born in Shandon, Ohio to the family of Dr. Griffin M. Shaw, Albert Shaw moved to Iowa in the spring of 1875, where he attended Iowa College specializing in constitutional history and economic science and...
in June 1937 for $200,000. Funk in turn got "a very good chuckle" when Gallup failed to predict the 1948 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1948
The United States presidential election of 1948 is considered by most historians as the greatest election upset in American history. Virtually every prediction indicated that incumbent President Harry S. Truman would be defeated by Republican Thomas E. Dewey. Truman won, overcoming a three-way...
result.
Publishing success
In late 1937, Funk started Your Life, a 128-page digest sizeDigest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
"Popular Guide to Desirable Living". At 25¢ an issue, it contained articles such as "Be Glad Your Wife's Neurotic" and "Why Commit Suicide?". Circulation ran to more than 100,000, with spin-off titles Your Personality and Your Health. The success of the magazine allowed him to start his own book publishing business in 1940, Wilfred Funk, Inc.
Funk wrote numerous books on vocabulary
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
and etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
aimed at a general audience. He favored descriptive linguistics
Descriptive linguistics
In the study of language, description, or descriptive linguistics, is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is spoken by a group of people in a speech community...
over linguistic prescription
Linguistic prescription
In linguistics, prescription denotes normative practices on such aspects of language use as spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. It includes judgments on what usages are socially proper and politically correct...
, stating "Let's throw the old textbooks out the window, along with the words correct and incorrect, because there's really no such thing as grammar, but only an ever-changing language pattern formed by everyday usage". In 1942, he co-wrote 30 Days to a more Powerful Vocabulary with Norman Lewis; total sales to 1968 were claimed at 4.7m. In 1945, he created the Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
feature "It Pays to Increase Your Word Power". His son Peter continued this from 1962 to 1998.
Works
Published works:- Manhattans, Bronxes, and Queens by (1931)
- Light Lines and Dears (1932)
- So You Think It's New (1937)
- It Might Be Verse (1938)
- When the Merry-go-round Breaks Down! (1938)
- The Inn (1940)
- If You Drink (1940)
- Love, Life, and Laughter (1942)
- 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary (1942)
- The Way to Vocabulary Power and Culture (1946)
- Word Origins and Their Romantic Stories (1950)
- Your Life : Today's Guide to Desirable Living Wilfred Funk et al. (1951)
- 25 Magic Steps to Word Power (1958)
- Six Weeks to Words of Power (1959)
- Selected Verse of Wilfred Funk (1962)