James L. Swauger

SWAUGER
JAMES L.
92, died December 18, 2005 at Briarcliffe Manor in Johnston, RI. Dr. Swauger was Associate Director of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh from 1965 to 1975. He was the husband of the late Helen Poole Swauger. Born in West Newton, PA, a son of the late John and Katherine Weaver Swauger. He was a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh until moving to Rhode Island in 2004. Dr. Swauger is survived by a son, John Swauger of New York City; two daughters, Deborah Handsman of Warwick, RI, and Amy Swauger of New York City; four grandchildren and three great-grandsons. A 1930 graduate of Turtle Creek Union High School, Dr. Swauger earned a B.S. in zoology in 1941 and an M.Litt. in history in 1947 from the University of Pittsburgh. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Waynesburg College in 1957. Dr. Swauger was on the staff of Carnegie Museum from 1935 to 1979. Beginning his career as an Assistant in Archaeology and Ethnology, he went on to become Curator of the Section of Man and Assistant and Associate Director of the museum. He later held the posts of Senior Scientist in Anthropology and Foreign Programs Coordinator. Dr. Swauger led archaeological excavations at Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne in Point State Park. He co-directed the excavation of Tel Ashdod in Israel from 1962 to 1969. He also excavated at the Timna site in Yemen and in the western United States. He received the Archey Award and the John Alden Mason Memorial Award from the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology. Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Eastern States Rock Art Research Association, Dr. Swauger studied petroglyphs in the upper Ohio River Valley, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic States. He was the author of almost fifty publications on rock art. He conducted a study of dolmens in Jordan in the early 1960s. Dr. Swauger established an international scholars program for visiting museum specialists at Carnegie. He served as a consultant to museums across the country and in Taiwan and India. He lectured and taught at numerous institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Penn State University, and the William F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. He wrote numerous technical papers and popular articles on archaeology, ethnology, and entomology. He served as President of the Northeast Museums Conference, Vice Chair of the American Association of Museums' International Council of Museums (ICOM) Committee, and Vice Chair and board member of ICOM. A veteran of WWII, he was an anti-aircraft artillery officer in Europe. Following the war he served as a captain in the Army Reserve until 1955. Donations may be made in his memory to: Dr. James L. Swauger Memorial Fund, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Section of Anthropology, 4400 Forbes Ave. Pgh., PA 15213.
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