TERRELL, Texas — World-renowned archaeologist Denver Fred Wendorf died in Dallas following a long illness on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at the age of 90, according to the Southern Methodist University (SMU) where Wendorf spent four decades on faculty.
TERRELL, Texas — World-renowned archaeologist Denver Fred Wendorf died in Dallas following a long illness on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at the age of 90, according to the Southern Methodist University (SMU) where Wendorf spent four decades on faculty.
Wendorf, born in Terrell, Texas, on July 31, 1924, “developed a keen interest in archaeology while roaming the fields of Kaufman County in search of Native American artifacts,” stated the university.
Wendorf began his formal study of anthropology in 1942 at the University of Arizona. A year later, Wendorf reported for active duty in World War II where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant assigned as a rifle platoon leader for the 86th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division.
While leading his platoon in an assault against the Nazis in the Apennine Mountains of northern Italy, Wendorf was severely injured and spent the next two years recovering — fearing he may never be able to excavate again. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
In 1948, Wendorf returned to the University of Arizona and earned his B.A. in anthropology and later obtained a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1953.
“Wendorf’s career as a field archaeologist on two continents spanned six decades and left an unsurpassed record of seminal discoveries in both Africa and the American Southwest. Wendorf spent four decades on the faculty of Southern Methodist University, retiring in 2003 as the Henderson-Morrison Professor of Prehistory Emeritus,” stated the university.
“Fred Wendorf had a global impact on the field of archaeology and an extraordinary impact on the University where he served for four decades,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “We are indebted to Fred for bringing his expertise to SMU in 1964 to establish the University’s Anthropology Department and for the international significance of his ongoing archaeological research in regions ranging from the American Southwest to northeast Africa.”
The family suggests that those wishing to make donations in Wendorf’s memory may make them to SMU, designated to the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) or the Friends of SMU-in-Taos Fund (P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, TX 75275-0402). Memorial service plans will be announced at a later date.
To read Wendorf's complete obituary, click here.
