Father Walter Jackson Ong was an american Jesuit Priest, proffesor of English Literature and an important historian and philosopher. He was born the 30th November 1912, and died the 12nd 2003.
Ong was born in Kansas City, Missouri; he was raised as a Roman Catholic. In 1933 he received a bachelor of arts degree from Rockhurst College and during this time he founded a chapter of the Catholic fraternity, Alpha Delta Gamma. Ong entered the Society of Jesus in 1935, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1946.
In 1941 Ong earned a master’s degree in English at Saint Louis University and he also received the degrees Licentiate of Philosophy and Licentiate of Sacred Theology from this University.
After completing his dissertation, Ong teached in Saint Louis University and in 1955 he received his Ph.D. in English from Harvard University. In 1963 the French government honored Ong for his work with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques. Apart from that, he has received many important mentions due to his work during his life, such as his election as Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and his service as Lincoln Lecturer, presenting lectures in French in Cameroun, Zaire, and Senegal and in English in Nigeria. He has also served as president of the Milton Society of America and as elected president of the Modern Language Association of America.
Some of the most important writings of Walter J. Ong are: ‘Ramus, Method, and the Decay of Dialogue (1958)’, ‘The Presence of the Word (1967)’, ‘Fighting for Life (1981)’, ‘Orality and Literacy (1982)’, and ‘An Ong Reader (2002)’.
REFERENCES:
- Walter J. Ong. (2009, January 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:10, January 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_J._Ong&oldid=267876875
- ‘Review of Walter J. Ong’s Orality and Literacy’ by Art Binham. Retrieved 21:12, january 13, 2009, from http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/ong_rvw.html
