The legend of copra trader David Dean O'Keefe was told in a novel, a motion picture, and through the oral history of his descendants in Savannah, Georgia, and the indigenous peoples of Yap. There was no complete written account of his life and his affect on the Yapese culture. Through examination of written documents about O'Keefe, interviews, and personal correspondence, this study yielded a missing piece of history. Although almost 100 years has passed since O'Keefe lived, his legacy is still thriving on Yap, a small island in Micronesia. O'Keefe's story is still being retold by family and historians who sought to vicariously experience the romance and drama of sailing the world in search of wealth and adventure.
","abstract_html":"<p>The legend of copra trader David Dean O'Keefe was told in a novel, a motion picture, and through the oral history of his descendants in Savannah, Georgia, and the indigenous peoples of Yap. There was no complete written account of his life and his affect on the Yapese culture. Through examination of written documents about O'Keefe, interviews, and personal correspondence, this study yielded a missing piece of history. Although almost 100 years has passed since O'Keefe lived, his legacy is still thriving on Yap, a small island in Micronesia. O'Keefe's story is still being retold by family and historians who sought to vicariously experience the romance and drama of sailing the world in search of wealth and adventure.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Butler, Janet B."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies","degree_level":"Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)","degree_discipline":"Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sandra Peacock","Edmund C. Short","John A. Weaver"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2001,"date_issued":"2001-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2001-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:00Z","subjects":["ETD","Copra trading","David Dean O'Keefe","Savannah","Yap","Micronesia","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Methods"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/128","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sandra Peacock","Edmund C. Short","John A. Weaver"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Butler, Janet B."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Copra trading","David Dean O'Keefe","Savannah","Yap","Micronesia","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Methods"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/128"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The legend of copra trader David Dean O'Keefe was told in a novel, a motion picture, and through the oral history of his descendants in Savannah, Georgia, and the indigenous peoples of Yap. There was no complete written account of his life and his affect on the Yapese culture. Through examination of written documents about O'Keefe, interviews, and personal correspondence, this study yielded a missing piece of history. Although almost 100 years has passed since O'Keefe lived, his legacy is still thriving on Yap, a small island in Micronesia. O'Keefe's story is still being retold by family and historians who sought to vicariously experience the romance and drama of sailing the world in search of wealth and adventure.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["East Meets West: Desperately Seeking David Dean O'Keefe from Savannah to Yap"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sandra Peacock","Edmund C. Short","John A. Weaver"],"dc:creator":["Butler, Janet B."],"dc:date.available":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The legend of copra trader David Dean O'Keefe was told in a novel, a motion picture, and through the oral history of his descendants in Savannah, Georgia, and the indigenous peoples of Yap. There was no complete written account of his life and his affect on the Yapese culture. Through examination of written documents about O'Keefe, interviews, and personal correspondence, this study yielded a missing piece of history. Although almost 100 years has passed since O'Keefe lived, his legacy is still thriving on Yap, a small island in Micronesia. O'Keefe's story is still being retold by family and historians who sought to vicariously experience the romance and drama of sailing the world in search of wealth and adventure.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd_legacy/128"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Copra trading","David Dean O'Keefe","Savannah","Yap","Micronesia","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Methods"],"dc:title":["East Meets West: Desperately Seeking David Dean O'Keefe from Savannah to Yap"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:00Z"}