Talk:Ian Wolfe

HIRSCH!
He was also the long-suffering butler to "Mama Carlson" on WKRP. What a great character, what a great character actor. 96.52.130.129 (talk) 07:56, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

A Place In The Sun
I watched a DVD of A Place in the Sun (film) today, and if I am not mistaken, Ian Wolfe played an uncredited role as Doctor Wyeland. The Internet Movie Database (IMdb) confirms this. If any Wikipedia editor has reliable documentation of this fact, please update this article accordingly. Thank you! – Anita5192 (talk) 23:31, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:13, 26 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Ian Wolfe in bowtie circa 1960.jpg

World War I service
Although Wolfe served in the Army during the World War I era, there are no reliable sources found as of yet state that he was in a war zone during the war. More specifically, the sources do not establish defining role in World War I. Accordingly, "Category:United States army personnel of World War I" was removed until a defining role is established. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 11:03, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * If he was in the Army during the war, that is sufficient. How and where he served is irrelevant. Clarityfiend (talk) 11:07, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Please add content with a source that shows he had a defining role in World War I to rate this category. In Newspapers.com and Google Books, I have found nothing so far. Maybe you will have better luck. Semper fi! FieldMarine (talk)
 * That's not how this category works. They can't all be Audie Murphys Alvin Yorks. See Elmer Austin Benson, George Biddle, Dickinson Bishop, Dan Blaine, etc. Passing mentions for all of them. How is Wolfe any different? Clarityfiend (talk) 11:34, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Categories are added by showing a person has a defining role. An actor today who served in the Army in 2004 would not automatically have "Catgeory:Army personnel of the Iraq war" and "Category:Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)" just because they served in the Army during the time those war were happening unless they had a role in those wars. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 11:40, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Nope. You haven't addressed the other less-than-stellar soldier examples I had no difficulty in finding. I could go on and on with those. So, unless you're prepared to delete their categories, you have no ground to stand on. Also, consider Category:1939 films. Is there something that makes 1939 a defining characteristic of these movies? A few are noted for being released in what is considered the best year for films ever, but the vast majority aren't. Or Category:People from Poughkeepsie, New York. Is being a Poughkeepsian a defining characteristic? Clarityfiend (talk) 11:50, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * WP:CATDEFINING is routinely ignored. That's a fact that can't be swept under the rug. Trying to reverse it is as futile as King Canute ordering the tide to stop rising. Clarityfiend (talk) 11:56, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Examining more closely the four examples I picked essentially at random, I see that only Bishop's service is even sourced, and that only in Encyclopedia Titanica. Contrast that to Wolfe; his service is noted in his Los Angeles Times obituary. Clarityfiend (talk) 12:05, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Please stick to this category for this person using the criteria on Wikipedia for adding cats, which is defining role. If there is no content that shows a defining role to support a cat on those actors, then they should be removed as well. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 12:08, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I have solicit other opinions at Wikipedia talk:Categorization. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:47, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Good idea, thanks. I have also included this discussion here. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 11:39, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Good luck getting rid of those people (none actors BTW) because there are a vast number of them. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:03, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I have seen many examples where an obituary says a person served in X branch of the military during y war as a way to provide a timeframe for service, rather than actual service in that war. In the case of Wolfe, there are no records of him serving in the military in Fold3, a database extensively of military records, so I was unable to locate a primary source. I was unable to find any sources that state Ian Wolfe had any role in World War I in NewspaperArchive. There are two sources that mention Ian M. Wolfe service in the army in Newspapers.com. One is in the Republic (Kansas City) on February 15, 1918 that states he was training at Camp Freemont, California and the other is in The Argentine Republic on February 27, 1919 where he writes an Opinion piece while a sergeant at Camp Lee, Virginia . I have not found anything that states he had a direct role in the war other than serving during that time. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 10:34, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I will note that his Army service is recognized by "Category:United States army non-commissioned officers". Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 11:42, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

Comment WP:CATDEF: A defining characteristic is one that reliable sources commonly and consistently define the subject as having. Since his biographical notes mention his service in World War I, that is indeed a defining category. Whether he served overseas or at home is neither here nor there, nor is the fact that he is in another category, Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers is neither here nor there either, as that is not a subcategory. Should someone create a subcategory "United States Army non-commissioned officers in World War I" then that category could replace both. Hawkeye7  (discuss)  00:22, 31 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Two to one, plus both the LA Times and Associated Press obituaries state he served in the war, so I'm restoring the contested category. Clarityfiend (talk) 10:41, 8 June 2022 (UTC)