A death

Dr. Carol Kramer, 59, an archaeologist who specialized in the
Ancient Near East and South Asia and an internationally recognized
leader in the field of ethnoarchaeology, died December 3rd in
Tucson, Arizona after a short illness.

A professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona at the time
of her death, Kramer had a distinguished career as a field
archaeologist, scholar and teacher. In the 1960s and early 1970s she
excavated at Seh Gabi, as well as other sites in Iran. In 1970 she
worked with an urban potter in Guatemala and by 1975 was committed
to the nascent field of ethnoarchaeology, a scholarly enterprise
that uses information about contemporary behavior patterns to
interpret archaeological data. Her edited volume, Ethnoarchaeology:
Implications of Ethnography for Archaeology (1979), was a landmark
in this field. She conducted an important study correlating
variations in architecture, residence patterns and household
attributes in an Iranian village (Village Ethnoarchaeology: Rural
Iran in Archaeological Perspective, 1982), before moving on to work
in India in the early 1980s. Always interested in pottery as a
source of information about social relationships, she undertook a
comparative study of the production, sale and distribution of
traditional pottery in two Rajasthani cities (Pottery in Rajasthan:
Ethnoarchaeology in Two Indian Cities, 1997). Her work has helped to
define the methods and theory of ethnoarchaeology, archaeology, and
the study of material culture. Her most recent book,
Ethnoarchaeology in Action, co-authored with Nicholas David, 2001,
is the standard reference in the field.

Kramer was born in New York City, May 3, 1943 to Aaron Kramer (a
poet at Dowling College on Long Island) and Katherine Kolodny Kramer
(a social worker). She attended the High School of Music and Art and
graduated from City College in 1964. She studied at the University
of Chicago and received her doctorate in anthropology in 1971 from
the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining the University of
Arizona faculty in 1990, she taught at Queens College and later at
Lehman College (CUNY) while also serving as a member of the
anthropology department at the Graduate Center of the City
University of New York. She was also a visiting professor at Yale
University and the University of Arizona, the latter under the
auspices of a National Science Foundation Visiting Professorships
for Women award. She delivered the Distinguished Lecture of the
Archaeology Division of the AAA in 1994.

A member of the generation of women who broke through every barrier
to the active participation of women in archaeology, Kramer was a
passionate advocate for the professional development of women in
archaeology and anthropology throughout her career. Together with
(then) student assistant, Miriam Stark, she conducted an influential
study, "The Status of Women in Archaeology" (Anthropology
Newsletter, 1988) for the AAA, which honored her with its Squeaky
Wheel Award in 1999. This award cited her success as a role model
for women graduate students and as a mentor for young professionals,
both men and women.

According to Gil Stein, Director of the Oriental Institute,
University of Chicago, "Carol produced an impressive array of books,
monographs, and synthetic articles whose intellectual impact is
remarkable. She embodied in her own life, and conveyed to her many
students, the very highest standards of professional and personal
ethics. Everyone who knew her will miss her intelligence, kindness
and humanity."

Kramer, who was divorced, is survived by her sister, Laura Kramer of
Montclair, New Jersey and two nieces, Nora Gordon of San Diego and
Joanna Gordon of New York.

    Raymond H. Thompson and
    Norman Yoffee

This is to invite you to a Memorial Gathering to celebrate Carol's
life, including her many important contributions to the field of
anthropology, and especially, to her students. We will gather on
Sunday, March 9, 2003, from 2-4 pm in the Center for English as a
Second Language (CESL), Room 102, on the campus of the University of
Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Several of her colleagues, former
students, and close friends will share their thoughts with us all.
There will also be a chance for anyone attending to speak about
Carol during the gathering. Afterwards, we are invited to the home
of Susan Philips to celebrate Carol's life in a less formal way. We
hope you will be able to join us. Please contact Bill Longacre
<longacre [at] u__arizona__edu> if you have any questions.

A Memorial Service will be held in New York City on Sunday, February
16, 2003 from 1-3 pm EST, at Sulzberger Parlour, 3rd Floor, Barnard
College, on Broadway and 117th Street, NYC. Please RSVP to
paulaw115 [at] aol__com.

Endowed Scholarship: The Department of Anthropology at the
University of Arizona is very pleased to announce the creation of an
endowed memorial scholarship honoring Carol Kramer. Her
contributions to research and teaching are enormous and her loss is
especially grievous to all of us. We established this scholarship to
recognize her excellence in research and teaching. We encourage
people to make donations to the fund by sending a check payable to
the UA Foundation/Anthro. In the memo section of the check please
indicate that the gift is for the Carol Kramer Memorial Scholarship.
Funding will be provided to graduate students interested in the
archaeology of the ancient Near East or in ethnoarchaeology,
research areas so dear to her.

William A. Longacre

Please send your donations to:

    Department of Anthropology
    c/o Norma Maynard
    University of Arizona
    PO Box 210030
    Tucson, AZ 85721-0030

Norma Maynard
Senior Business Manager
Anthropology - University of Arizona
520-621-6303
Fax: 520-621-2088


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:46
                 Distributed: Friday, January 31, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-46-002
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