Ekvall, Robert

ROBERT B. EKVALL (1898-1978)
Born in Minh-sien, Gansu, China February 18, 1898 to his missionary parents, David and Helen Ekvall. His father, David and uncle, William Christie from Scotland, were the first Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries to visit Tibet.
No sooner had the wedding cake been cut, did Bob and Betty Ekvall board a train to New York to attend The Missionary Training Institute in Nyack. With his fourteen year head start in the Chinese language, a Bachelors in English from Wheaton, he returned to China to direct the Bible school that his father David had founded.
Soon their mission reluctantly allowed them to enter Tibetan language study at Taochow and to work among the Tibetan nomads.
In 1938 they returned to America to write the 50-year history of his mission and a book on mission work in Tibet. During their furlough he studied Sanskrit and cultural anthropology at the University of Chicago focusing upon the Tibetan nomads.
Upon their return to Asia in 1939, Betty Ekvall died from a "high fever that defied diagnosis." During the war he experienced two years of internment in Indo-China from 1941-1943 and combat in Burma. In 1953 he served as interpreter for truce negotiations in Korea. He worked with the University of Washington from 1958 and retired in 1974.

A Timeline for Robert B. Ekvall:
1898-1911 Robert Ekvall born & raised in China until his father David’s death
1911-1917 Educated at Wilson Academy in Nyack & Wheaton College
1917-1921 Apprentice with Western Electric & writes for Chicago Daily News
1921-1923 Marries Betty Fisher & attends Missionary Training Institution In Nyack
1923-1938 Years of service in Tibet among the nomadic pastoralists
1938-1939 US Furlough writes history of the Alliance & studies sanskrit.
1939-1944 Betty Dies upon Return to Asia & Bob Interned in Indo-China
1951-1953 Helps Norbu, Dalai Lama’s Brother & Interprets for Korean Truce
1958-1978 Works with University of Washington & retires in 1974
(www.worthpoint.com, 2012-09-28)