John Theodore Bendor-Samuel (9 June 1929 – 6 January 2011) was an evangelical Christian missionary and linguist who furthered Bible translation work into African languages, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS. He had an instrumental role in the founding of Wycliffe Bible Translators UK; the West Africa Linguistics Society and the Forum of Bible Agencies International. He pioneered SIL International's work in several countries in West Africa.
Life and work
Early life and education John Bendor-Samuel was born in the British seaside town of Worthing on 9 June 1929, the son of Rev. Theodore Harold and Dorothy Ruth Bendor-Samuel. Both of his parents were church ministers, and his father's ministry commitments led the family to move several times during the early years of John's life: first to Winchester when he was 2 years old, then to Hereford in 1945, followed by a move to West Norwood 4 years later. John himself embraced evangelical Christianity at a young age, and was baptised in June 1943. The academic dedication he was to show in later life was evident from an early age. His father recalled how as a young boy he used to open his schoolbooks and start his homework as soon as he got home from lessons. This commitment to study continued and at the end of secondary school, he was accepted into Oxford University to study history. Between his secondary education and attending university, Bendor-Samuel had to spend two years doing National Service in the army. As he felt called by God to go into mission work in later life, he expressed a desire to spend his period of service overseas, but this request was declined several times due to his usefulness as an instructor in England. Eventually, he decided to resign from his position, and was able to spend the second year of his National Service in the Middle East. After his National Service was completed, he began studying for his undergraduate degree in history at Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated in 1952 and, spurred by a desire to work in a Bible teaching position oversees, he moved to London University to work towards two postgraduate diplomas, firstly in Education and then in Theology.
Linguistics training and the move abroad In 1953, while studying for his diploma in theology, he attended a training course run by the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the London Bible College. The first course of its kind in the UK, it was designed to equip prospective and current missionaries to better acquire proficiency in non-European languages. Despite the current pressures on his time, the course appealed to Bendor-Samuel as he was aware of the importance of language learning skills for missionaries. He also had memories of his shortcomings in the discipline earlier in life, remarking that his school language lessons had been "dismal and depressing" and jokingly admitting that he did not know "the difference between a glottal stop and a bus stop". Unable to afford the residential fee for the course, he lived at his parents' house in West Norwood, cycling to and from the college each day and working on completing his theology diploma when he got home at night. By the end of the course, he discovered that he enjoyed linguistics, and was invited to take on a role of organising and publicising the same course for the following year. As part of this position, Bendor-Samuel essentially turned his attic bedroom into the UK office of Wycliffe Bible Translators. With the help of his brother David, he also bought a motorcycle and side-car, which he used to travel around areas near London promoting the work of Wycliffe and searching for a location for the next year's course. Following the 1954 SIL course, which was held in Chigwell, Essex, Bendor-Samuel decided to join Wycliffe Bible Translators. Encouraged to engage in further linguistics study to equip him for work with Wycliffe, he enrolled on a one-year MA course at the School of Oriental and African Studies before studying for a PhD in Linguistics. Throughout this period, he was also responsible for continued administrative work for Wycliffe from his bedroom. In January 1955, Bendor-Samuel became engaged to fellow Wycliffe member Pamela Moxham. After their first meeting at the SIL course in 1953, Moxham and Bendor-Samuel had remained friends, with her teaching him some phonetics, and him teaching her how to drive. Initially hesitant about marriage, the new certainty about his future had encouraged Bendor-Samuel to propose. The ceremony took place during that year's SIL course. As Bendor-Samuel had chosen the Jebero language of Peru as the subject of his PhD, the newly married couple travelled to South America in 1955, where they would spend several years working with SIL International. After a year in Peru, collecting phonological and grammatical data on the language and helping to devise an alphabet, they returned to England, where John spent eighteen months working on his thesis. Following his thesis in 1958, he returned to South America with Pam, this time to Mato Grosso, Brazil to study the Terena language. During his years in Peru and Brazil, Bendor-Samuel continued to be involved in the annual SIL courses in England.
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