Andrew F. Stewart

Andrew F. Stewart
August 23, 1948 - January 13, 2023
Andrew (Andy) Ferguson Stewart, passed away at his home in Berkeley, California on January 13, 2023 at the age of 74. Born and raised in Portsmouth, England in 1948 to John (Jack) Ferguson Stewart and Edith Flora Bassett. Andy's passion for both music and the sea began early. Andy joined the Portsmouth Cathedral's boy's choir at the age of 8, and at 12, he and his friends raced his Fireball dinghy around Portsmouth Harbor. Once he upgraded to a 14' LARK dinghy, which he built himself, he would sail to the Isle of Wight. For the rest of his life, Andy would go on to spend as much of his free time as possible sailing.
Andy attended Cambridge University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1970 and his PhD in History of Art in 1972. Andy and his first wife Meriel Barrett met at Cambridge and married in 1971. In 1972 they moved to Dunedin, New Zealand where Andy began teaching at the University of Otago. In 1976 their son Colin was born, with their daughter Caroline following in 1978. In 1979, Andy accepted a teaching position in the History of Art department at UC Berkeley where he would stay for the rest of his career, a full professor in both the History of Art and Classics departments.
With experience in Greece that reached back to his days as both a schoolboy and a graduate student at the British School at Athens, Andy spent his summers examining sculpture from the Athenian Agora, mentoring the Berkeley graduate students who assisted his investigations, and socializing with friends and colleagues at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The American School community greatly valued not only the results of his research, a series of classic articles in the journal Hesperia, but also his friendship and company at Tea, Ouzo Hour, and other events at the 'School.'
In 1986, Andy launched the UCB Tel Dor Archaeological Expedition, joining the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's summer excavations in Tel Dor, Israel. Andy's leadership, combined with his zest for fun commingled with educational experiences, made this dig legendary. Hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students participated not only on the dig, but also many joined Andy for his Friday night BBQ's over the next 25 years.
In 2009, Andy and his longtime partner Darlis Wood married in a small family ceremony at his home in Berkeley, California, where they proceeded to acquire at least 10 cats, although not all at the same time! Andy doted on them and took great delight in their company every day.
In 2015, Andy fulfilled his dream of owning a boat to sail in the San Francisco Bay. Just about every Sunday, Andy and his crew circled Alcatraz, Yerba Buena, and Angel Islands, and dipped out under the Golden Gate Bridge on the kindest of weather days. Per Andy's tradition and insistence, all sailing days were capped with an obligatory cocktail at the dock upon return.
In 2009, Andy was awarded the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award for sustained excellence in teaching. In January 2023, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) awarded Andy its highest honor: the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement. This award crowned his lifetime of exceptional achievement in research, teaching, and fieldwork. Per his award, Andy "transformed our knowledge and understanding of ancient Greek sculpture, via focused empirical scholarship on dates, individual works, and artists, as well as through broad-ranging discussions of sexuality, reception, semiotics, psychology, economics, and culture theory." Andy's contribution to his field was vast and influential, and his legacy will continue through the 8 books and over 100 articles that he published.
Andy is preceded in death by his father John (1989) and his mother Edith (1982). Survivors include: first wife of 12 years, Meriel R. Ennik; second wife of 13 years, Darlis Wood; two children: Colin Stewart (Olivia), Caroline Stewart Dickinson; and three grandchildren: Lucas (Colin) and Giselle and Sofia (Caroline).
A public service will be held on April 26 at 1:30pm at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, California.