Robert E. Will

Article summary

Robert Elsworth Will (1908-1999) was an American academic at the University of Rhode Island who served as the founding chairman of the Theater Department. Will was born 16 September 1908 in Mamaroneck, New York to Edwin Robert Will and Minnie Helen (Brooks) Will. He attended the University of Connecticut and was married to Alice Aline Comeau on 24 June 1936 in West Hartford, Connecticut, and they had two sons, Allen and Christopher. Will began his career teaching English Literature at the University of Connecticut in the mid-1930s, and enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army on 1 December 1942 in Hartford. However, he was quickly promoted into the officers corps, serving in World War II until his discharge as a captain on 27 June 1946 at Fort Devens. Shortly after discharge from the military in 1946, Will joined the University of Rhode Island as a professor of English. Will went on to be the founder of the Department of Theater where he served as department chairman through the 1950s until the 1970s. In recognition of Will's contributions to the department, the primary performance theater at the university was named in his honor. Will died on 11 December 1999 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1908-09-16 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1999-12-11 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1908-09-16". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1999-12-11". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.