José de Almeida Pavão, born in Ponta Delgada, graduated in Classical Philosophy at the Faculty of Letters of Lisbon in 1941, and obtained his doctorate in Romance Philology in 1980. He was vice-rector and rector of the High School of Ponta Delgada; taught at the Ponta Delgada School for Primary School Teachers; was Assistant Professor and Full Professor of Portuguese Literature at the University of the Azores; director of the Public Library and Archive of Ponta Delgada; and cooperated with the Cultural Institute of Ponta Delgada and numerous publications.
His legacy comprises a vast and important literary work within ethnography and popular literature, including bright works as «Xailes Negros» (1973) and «Aspectos do Cancioneiro Popular Açoriano» (1982). He died on September 20, 2003.
