Richard H. Jordan (1946-1991)

Abstract

In 1974 a slightly bow-legged young male arctic archaeologist, nearing completion of his Ph.D., nervously stood before a Bryn Mawr College introductory archaeology class. Approximately 35 eager undergraduate women sat quietly and expectantly in their seats. The undergraduates had to lean forward when their new professor began to speak, for his lecture was delivered through a cloud of cigarette smoke and at a whisper that barely reached beyond his beard. Thus began Richard H. Jordan's career as an archaeology and anthropology professor. His productive career ended prematurely on 19 January 1991, when he died of a heart attack at the age of 44. ... Dick's career went through various theoretical stages and took on a circumpolar aspect as he became involved in work in Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Denmark, and Greenland. He always saw arctic archaeology in the context of anthropology and insisted that his students have an excellent anthropological grounding. Overall, he was interested in unraveling the prehistory of arctic cultures and understanding human adaptations to cold regions, climate change, and cultural contact. He recognized that international cooperation and exchange among academics is essential to the success of scholarly endeavors and was impatient with those who hampered such efforts. On the national level he lobbied for increased funding of northern research and expressed his concern about the United States' underdeveloped arctic social science policies. The voice that began as a nervous whisper in a Pennsylvania classroom was now that of an emerging leader in the field of northern research. Dick's students and colleagues will notice less animation and a lower noise level at academic meetings and increasingly will realize how silent their phone lines have become. The northern anthropological community has lost an invaluable colleague, teacher, and friend. ...