Richard Newbold Adams

1924 - 2018

ADAMS, Richard Newbold Aug. 4, 1924 - Sept. 11, 2018 Richard N. Adams, beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, teacher, and scholar of cultural anthropology, died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday, September 11th, 2018 in Panajachel, Guatemala. He was 94 years old. Rick was raised in Ann Arbor Michigan, son of Randolph Greenfield Adams and Helen Spiller Adams. After serving in WWII, he earned his PhD in Anthropology from Yale in 1951. He did his graduate field work in Peru, and then went to work in Guatemala in 1950. There he met Betty Hannstein who he married in 1951, and they had three children - Walter Randolph, Tani Marilena, and Gina Constance. After working in Guatemala for several years, Rick returned to the States to teach at Michigan State University (1956-1961) and then joined the faculty at UT Austin. There he was Professor of Anthropology and Director of Latin American Studies, the Rapoport Centennial Professor Emeritus of Liberal Arts and a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He also worked for the Ford Foundation in Buenos Aires in the late 60's. During his career he served as president of the American Anthropological Association and the Latin American Studies Association, and was one of the founders and president of the Society for Applied Anthropology. He retired from UT in the mid 1990's, having taught and mentored countless students in the US, Central and Latin America, and across the globe. After his retirement, Rick and his wife Betty lived mainly in Guatemala. Their oldest daughter Tani, passed away in 2017. Rick is survived by Betty and their son and daughter, Walter and Gina, and their grandchildren Ariel, Lia, and Nico Adams. He will be cremated and his ashes will be scattered at a private family ceremony. If you have questions about possible events celebrating his life, or would like information as to how to make a donation in his memory to the Maya Education Foundation, please email his son, Walter, at walteradams2002@gmail.com.