Michael Edward Krauss

1934 - 2019

The family of Michael Edward Krauss, scholar of Alaska Native languages and a champion of endangered languages, regrets to announce his death on Aug. 11, 2019, at the age of 84.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1934, he had a early passion for linguistics and earned a total of four degrees in the field, including a master's from Columbia and a Ph.D. from Harvard. Beginning in 1960, a two-year teaching position at University of Alaska Fairbanks evolved into a career-long involvement with Alaska Native languages, distinguished by his founding of the Alaska Native Language Center and the creation of a later outgrowth, the Alaska Native Language Archive. He was still engaged in work on his specialty, the Eyak language, at the time of his death. In linguistics more generally, his address delivered to the Linguistic Society of America in 1991 advocated forcefully for a shift in emphasis from the theoretical realm to the documentation of endangered languages.
Gifted with prodigious energy, Michael could also be stern and demanding, and had high expectations, qualities that made him a formidable advocate for indigenous languages.
His wife of 41 years, Jane (nee Lowell), died in 2003, and he married Margaret "Molly" Lee in 2007. The couple moved from Fairbanks to the Boston area in 2016. His death came after a brief decline following an injury.
He is survived by his wife; a brother, Richard Krauss; six children; 15 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
A public memorial honoring Dr. Krauss' professional life and career will be held in the Davis Concert Hall at UAF on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Dr. Krauss may be made to the Alaska Native Language Archive, UAF, via check or online at https://engage.alaska.edu/uaf.