A memorial gathering for sharing memories of Stephen R. Durand will be planned for his birthday in October.  Arrangements will be announced at a later time.
Stephen Roland Durand was born October 10, 1952, in Washington, DC, to Clara and Roland E. Durand, and died at his home in Portales, NM, on July 28, 2009, of Malignant Melanoma.  Stephen's father was in the military, and consequently, his family moved several times.  On two different occasions, they were stationed in England where he attended Kindergarten and later junior high.  He was a 1970 graduate of Logansport High School in Logansport, IN. 
Stephen did his undergraduate work at Purdue University where he had planned to study Engineering.  However, he took a class in Anthropology, and a lifetime love of archaeology was born.  After earning his Bachelor's Degree, he moved to Portales, NM, where he earned a Master's Degree in Anthropology from Eastern New Mexico University.  While doing his graduate work, he worked on the Salmon Ruins site near Farmington and at the Rio Puerco Valley Archaeological Project northwest of Albuquerque.  His doctoral studies were completed in 1992 through the University of Washington.
From 1983 until 1991, he was employed at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, NV.  In 1990, he was sent to the Island of Cyprus to work on a dig site, and it was there that he met his future wife, Kathy Roler.  They were married on February 14, 1992, in Tempe, AZ.  He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Portales.
Stephen came to Eastern as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 1991, and was a full professor at the time of his death.  He was very active in the Faculty Senate, where he had served two terms as President.  He was also the Graduate Coordinator for the Anthropology Department.  Stephen loved teaching, and helping students come to share his passion for Archaeology.  Another love was motorcycles.  Stephen had ridden most of his life.  One of the highlights of his summer was an annual ten day ride he made with his friend Larry Baker.  He and his wife, Kathy made a ride together on their cycles in April 2007 to attend the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Austin, TX.  He also enjoyed participating in the annual Toys for Tots Motorcycle Run.  Yet another interest was photography.  He had learned so much about photography on his own, that he had developed a course which he taught on Imaging in Anthropology.
Stephen is survived by his wife, Kathy of their home; his only daughter, Sarah Durand also of the home; and a brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Cindy Durand of Circle Pines, MN. 
He was preceded in death by both of his parents.
Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary, 575-356-4455.