Frank Kent Reilly III

1945 - 2024

F. Kent Reilly III, (1945-2024), distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Texas State University in San Marcos, noted scholar of Mesoamerican and Native American culture, beloved teacher, husband, and friend, died of prostate cancer and complications from diabetes on May 21, 2024, at his home in Austin, Texas.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 26, 1945, Kent was the oldest of five children. His father, Frank K. Reilly Jr., was a US Marine test pilot who was killed in a jet crash when Kent was only eight. Kent went on to join the Navy, serving two tours in Vietnam from March 1966-December 1970, including 18 months as Hospital Corpsman First Class attached to the United States Marine Corps in the Republic of Viet Nam (Charlie Company, 1st Battalion 7th Marines). He appeared in a famous Life magazine photo from the battle of Hue attending injured soldiers atop a tank. For his service Kent was awarded a Purple Heart, Navy Commendation with Combat V, Vietnamese Cross-of-Gallantry, and Presidential Unit Citation with Two Combat Stars.

Dr. Reilly's lifelong passion for the study of indigenous New World peoples began early with a boyhood trip to the ceremonial center of the Mississippian world in Moundville, Alabama. At the University of Texas at Austin, Kent studied under noted Maya scholar Linda Schele, earning his PhD and becoming a respected expert on the ancient Olmec. During his tenure at Texas State University, Kent founded the Center for the Arts and Symbolism of the Ancient Americas providing a forum for both academics and Native scholars. As testimony to his collaborative spirit, in 2011 he was chosen as the Field Anthropologist for the Muscogee Nation of Florida in their efforts to achieve federal recognition.

Kent was a gifted curator of museum exhibitions and served as a member of the Board of Regents: University of Alabama State Museum Board. His culminating 2021 exhibition Spirit Lodge: Mississippian Art from Spiro hosted by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City showcased ancient objects from the Oklahoma site and contemporary Native artists, providing a pictorial narrative into the lives of these people. With fellow curator Eric Singleton, Kent coedited the accompanying book, Recovering Ancient Spiro. The exhibition took years to assemble and was one of the great joys of Kent's life.

A beloved teacher above all, Kent was comforted in his final days by a steady stream of former students, now settled in their professional lives across the country, who came to say goodbye. There was much laughter and lots of teasing, always his specialty. He had been honored in 2021 with a symposium acknowledging his role as mentor, adviser, and inspiration, shepherding a new generation into the field that was his life's devotion, and he will not be forgotten by them.

Kent leaves behind his longtime partner and husband, Michael Clark Scanlon; his brother F. Michael Reilly and wife Debbie of Tuscaloosa, as well as numerous nieces and nephews; and constellations of students, colleagues, and friends grateful for the light he shined into all our lives.

A memorial will be held October 12, 2024, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 6000 FM 3237, Wimberley, Texas.

Always an animal lover, Kent would approve of contributions to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Donations may also be made to the F. Kent Reilly III Memorial Graduate Scholarship Endowment at Texas State University.