Donald K. Wilgus; UCLA Professor

Donald Knight (D.K.) Wilgus, first chairman of UCLA’s folklore and mythology program when it began in 1965 and a professor emeritus of English and music, died Dec. 25 at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles. He was 71 and died after heart surgery.

A president of the American Folklore Society and editor of the journal, Western Folklore, Wilgus was a scholar of Anglo-American folksong who earned a master’s degree on so-called “hillbilly music” and a doctorate in English from Ohio State.

He came to UCLA from the faculty of Western Kentucky University in 1963 and started an archive of traditional Anglo-American folk songs which has since been named for him. He also produced a series of folk festivals at the Westwood campus before retiring in June.

Wilgus was the author of “Anglo-American Folksong Scholarship Since 1898,” considered a definitive work.

His survivors include his wife, Eleanor Long, who also was his collaborator, two daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to a Wilgus Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 83812, Los Angeles 90083. The fund will support archival acquisitions in the country and western field.