LAMBROS COMITAS

Although I was in a different department (sociology), Professor Lambros Comitas took me on as a student and was my PhD dissertation advisor. He was, at once, both demanding (as soon as he looked over one chapter of the dissertation, hed ask, wheres the next one?) and compassionate (he did not flinch from guiding me through the thicket of academic politics). He gave immeasurably to his students, and I am honored to be one of them.

Although I knew of his scholarly contributions before, I first met Dr. Lambros Comitas in the Dominican Republic in spring/1976. I had arrived there a few months earlier for my main doctoral field research [which lasted 2.5 years] for the Univ. of Pittsburgh's Anthropology Dept. whose leaders (my mentors), naturally, he knew too. In Santo Domingo, Lambros taught a one week mini-course in Social Anthropology sponsored by the Dominican-American Cultural Institute, and I was asked to assist...

I was so sorry to hear about Dr. Comitas' passing. He was a wonderful scholar, with an excellent sense of humor, and I was grateful to have known him. Kalo Taxidi, Professor.