Frances Gillmor

Frances Gillmor (21 May 1903 28 October 1993 ) was an American folklorist, scholar, and novelist.

Early life and education Born in Buffalo, New York, May 21, 1903 Frances Gillmor was the only child of Abner Churchill Gillmor and Annie McVicar Gillmor. Gillmor intended to be a writer publishing her first novel in 1929. She attended the University of Chicago in 1921 but left before graduation in 1923 and became a reporter. Her mother's ill health took the family to Arizona in 1926 and Gillmor returned to the University of Arizona where she completed a bachelor's and a masters in Arts, finishing in 1931. She became a Navajo expert, having done her master's thesis on John and Louisa Wade Wetherill in the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Career Gillmor then taught in University of New Mexico and the University of Arizona. She went to Mexico to learn Spanish to improve her ability to engage with the Pueblo Indians, and in part because of a relationship with Ola Apenes. Her papers are held at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections.