ACADEMIC ANGLO-ESTONIAN SOCIETY Ilmar Anvelt
Editor of OPEN!
English teachers in Estonia have had their organisation, the Estonian Association of Teachers of English, since 1991. It is not known that a similar association of teachers existed before World War II, but there was another organisation that promoted the English language and knowledge about the culture and economy of English-speaking countries – the Academic Anglo-Estonian Society, which was primarily meant for the students and teaching staff of the University of Tartu. The initiator of the Academic Anglo-Estonian Society was Ants Oras. According to the newspaper Üliõpilasleht (Anglo-Eesti ühing asutatud, 1931), the opening meeting of the society was held on 1 February 1931. On behalf of the founding members, Ants Oras submitted the statutes of the society to the university administration for registration on 6 March 1931. The University Council confirmed the statutes on 24 March 1931 (EAA 2100.19.8). §1 of the statutes formulates the aim of the society: “The aim of the Academic Anglo-Estonian Society is to assemble primarily academic Estonians interested in Anglo-Saxon culture, dealing with this cultural space in a scholarly manner and introducing its achievements to the academic circles as well as the public at large, and trying to arrange contacts with Britain and America for acquiring of information and entering into friendship ties” (EAA 2100.19.8). The statutes were signed by Ants Oras, E. Lepik and Arnold E. Muhel as founding members (EAA 2100.19.8).
Ants Oras
On 19 October 1931, the Academic Anglo-Estonian Society submitted to the university administration the list of its members, according to which its President was Dr Ants Oras and VicePresident Johan[nes] Silvet MA. Ants Oras was president of the society until 1934; thereafter, until the liquidation of the society in 1940, its president was the English lecturer Henry Harris (EAA 2100.19.8).
The membership of the society included many well-known people, for example, artists Voldemar Eller and Jaan Jensen, philosopher and later rector Alfred Koort, medical scientist and rector from 1920– 1928 Heinrich Koppel, literary scholar Daniel Palgi, professor of biology Johannes Piiper, astronomer David Rootsmann (later Taavet Rootsmäe), prosecutor Richard Rägo, professor of history Peeter Treiberg (later Tarvel), politician and jurist Jaan Tõnisson, politician Ilmar Tõnisson, jurist and politician Jüri Uluots, professor of medicine Albert Valdes, student Paul Saagpakk, who later became known as the compiler of the big Estonian-English dictionary. In total, the list included 87 names. The list of the next year, 1932, included 100 names already, among them folklorist and diplomat Oskar Kallas. By 37
