Professor George J. Armelagos

1936 - 2014

ATLANTA, Ga. - A wide network of friends and family mourn the death of Professor George J. Armelagos. He was one of his generation's most celebrated anthropologists. Armelagos made many significant and pioneering contributions to anthropology and the intersection of human biology, archaeology and culture.

George Armelagos was born May 22, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan. He died peacefully Thursday, May 15, 2014, at home in Atlanta, Georgia, only one week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

He is survived by brothers Nick and James Armelagos of Detroit, Michigan, as well as numerous family, friends, former students, and colleagues throughout the world.

Armelagos received a bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1958 and a doctorate in Anthropology from the University of Colorado in 1968.

He was a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1968 to 1990, and was instrumental in shaping the newly developed doctorate program after he arrived. He taught at the University of Florida for three years, then on to Emory University in 1993 as the Goodrich C. White distinguished professor of Anthropology. He served as chair of that department from 2003 to 2009, and continued to teach, mentor and publish until his death.

His contributions to the field of Anthropology were immense, particularly in the bio-cultural approach to the discipline. He pioneered the field of paleopathology, the analysis of skeletal remains to reconstruct how cultural changes lead to changing patterns of disease and nutrition in ancient populations. His contributions included a new understanding of the biological consequences of early agriculture and the evolutionary history of infectious diseases like syphilis. From early in his career, he wrote courageously about the myth of "race" as a biological concept, and the reality of racism as a social fact that affects health. He had a lifetime interest in food and nutrition. In addition to writing about food, he was a master chef who relished sharing food and conversation with his numerous students and friends. Armelagos was a prolific researcher and author, often collaborating with his students and colleagues. He published 13 books and monographs and well over 250 journal articles.

He was awarded the highest honors for his scholarship and service to Anthropology, including the Viking Medal from the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Charles Darwin Award for Lifetime Achievement to Biological Anthropology from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and the Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology from the American Anthropological Association. He received many awards from UMass and Emory. At UMass he was recognized with the Distinguished Teacher Award and was a Chancellor's Medalist. Most importantly, George was a much beloved teacher and friend to thousands of undergraduates and hundreds of graduate students. He was cherished for his intellect, generosity, encouragement, humility and humor.

A private internment service will be held near St. Catherine's Island, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Armelagos Lecture Fund, c/o James Mallet, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 40 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003.

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