Wilton W. (Wilton Wallace) Blancké

Wilton W. Blancké (Wilton Wallace Blancké, 1884–1949) was an American educator and author whose surviving papers describe him as both a teacher and writer. The University of Pennsylvania’s finding aid says his papers document his life as an educator and author, and notes that he was a strong supporter of foreign-language study in public education.

His best-known book, The Dramatic Values in Plautus, began as a University of Pennsylvania Ph.D. thesis and was published in 1918. In it, he argues that the Roman playwright Plautus deserves to be appreciated not just as a source for scholars, but as a lively dramatist with genuine theatrical power.

Blancké also appears in library records as the author or coauthor of other educational works, including titles connected with language study and music. Even from the small record that survives online, he comes across as a teacher-scholar who cared deeply about how the humanities should be taught and enjoyed.