Administrative/Biographical History
Edwin Michael “Mike” Hoffman (1884-1977) was born in Elk Point, South Dakota. Upon graduation from Oberlin College in 1907, Hoffman entered into youth work with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), working with the organization in Toledo, Ohio, and New York City. In 1914 Hoffman married Mary Lindsay, (1888-1983, A.B. Oberlin 1910). They had two children, Michael (1915-2001, A.B. Oberlin 1935) and Jean Wexler (A.B. Oberlin 1942). During World War I Hoffman served with the YMCA in Yokohama, Japan (Nov. 1918-Feb. 1919) and in Harbin, Manchuria (Feb. 1919-March 1920). During this time Hoffman wrote extensively about Japanese and Chinese culture, as well as his experiences overseas as a foreigner during wartime.
After the war ended the Hoffman family moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, and later Berea, Kentucky, where Michael Hoffman taught general science and Bible classes at the Foundation School of Berea College. In 1935 he received his MA in Christian Education from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. Hoffman also served as associate director of Camp Sequoyah, a YMCA camp in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Following his retirement from teaching in 1944, Michael and Mary moved to North Carolina and continued to be involved with the summer camp and the YMCA.
In addition to his work with the YMCA and at Berea College, Hoffman also had an interest in music and music composition. He wrote several songs, often influenced by his boyhood experiences in South Dakota. His orchestral suite “Prairie Boy”, incorporating themes from traditional American Indian music, was performed by the Berea Civic Orchestra, the Augustana Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony. Michael and Mary settled in Martha’s Vineyard in 1967, where they remained until Michael Hoffman’s death in 1977.
Sources Consulted
Alumni file of E. Michael Hoffman (RG 28).
Author: Bartels, Robert Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
