William Cameron Townsend

About

Remembered for founding both the Summer Institute of Linguistics (also known as SIL International) and the Wycliffe Bible Translators organization, Townsend aimed to make the Bible and American brands of Christianity more accessible to people in non-English-speaking countries. 

Before Fame

He briefly studied at the Presbyterian-affiliated Occidental College in Eagle Rock, California, but ended his college career to work for the Los Angeles Bible House. 

Trivia

In the late 1940s, he founded a company called the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service. As a missionary, he worked primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. 

Family Life

Throughout his two marriages, to Elvira Malmstrom Townsend and Elaine Mielke Townsend, he fathered children named Grace, Joy, Del, and William.

Associated With

He and fellow American-born Christian missionary Nate Saint both participated in mission work in South America.