I learned a great deal about the history of the University by doing this exhibit. The Anthropology program, started by the great archaeologist, E.E. Cummings, put the University on the map in the early part of the 20th century. The more I read about Cummings and his successors, Emil Haury, Raymond Thompson, Ed Spicer, Clara Lee Tanner, the more admiration I felt for my home institution. The Anthropology department has a fascinating history. My effort at capturing 100 years of it is shown below. Although I know I didn’t quite cover the entire 100 year period, it was quite gratifying to know that the late Dr. Raymond Thompson liked my work. Meeting him was the highlight of the whole experience for me.

In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the School of Anthropology, Special Collections has put together an exhibition that features a variety of historical material, including photos, original documents, pamphlets, articles and books related to the school and its impact on our campus and community.  

Included will be archival materials on Byron Cummings, founder of the program, and his successors Emil Haury, and Raymond Thompson. These photos, documents and articles come from a variety of places, but most notably from the University of Arizona Biographical files, housed in Special Collections.

Also on display will be information about various archaeological field schools, such as Point of Pines and Grasshopper, as will information about the Bureau of Ethnic Research (now called the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology) and the “Garbage project”.

Historic photos and information about the Arizona State Museum, which was for many, many years, managed by the directors of the anthropology program is also included.

Documents from various manuscript collections of former students and faculty, most notably Henry Dobyns, Trudy Griffin-Pierce and Paul Ezell will add to the exhibit’s focus on the history of the anthropology program.

The University of Arizona Press is also highlighted, as Dr. Emil Haury was a key player in convincing then President Harvill to get the Press started  in 1959.  Over the years, the UA Press has focused on publishing a number of works in anthropology and archaeology, many of them written by UA faculty, and these will be featured as well.

Some of the documents and other materials that are noteworthy include:

• Byron Cummings hand written resume, submitted to the University upon applying for a position in 1915.
• Paul Ezell’s field notebook from his time spent at Point of Pines in 1939.
• 1930’s annual reports from the Anthropology Dept.
• Original photos of the Arizona State Museum in its various locations.
• Photos of members of the UA Anthropology club.
• Early publications such as the Kiva, the Atlatl, and the UA Press’s Occasional Papers in Anthropology.

Two companion exhibits are also in the works. In March, the Main Library will host an exhibit on women and anthropology, and in April, an exhibit about A.E. Douglass and the Tree Ring Lab will open in the Science Engineering Library.

Dr. Raymond Thompson, who was director of both the School of Anthropology and the Arizona State Museum for many years, wrote a very kind letter to my supervisor where he noted how much he enjoyed the exhibit. I was both humbled and gratified to receive this kind of recognition, as I put my heart and soul into this project. Dr. Thompson passed away recently. He was a real gentleman.

“Join us as Diane Austin, Professor and Director of the School of Anthropology and Research Anthropologist with the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) opens Special Collections’ newest exhibition.

The presentation will highlight some of the key historical and current challenges addressed by University of Arizona anthropologists”