Emeritus Faculty Member Ray Fogelson Has Passed Away

Prof. Raymond Fogelson, Emeritus Professor in the Departments of Anthropology, Comparative Human Development, Psychology, and the College, has passed away on January 20, 2020. Fogelson received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 and taught at the University of Washington before joining the Department of Anthropology in 1965. He was widely recognized as a leading authority on Native American ethnology, with a specific focus on the Southeast. His expertise was wide ranging, including the comparative studies of religion, psychological anthropology, museum anthropology, tourism, hunting and gathering societies, and he was a founding figure in the field of ethnohistory.

Fogelson was well known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the history of anthropology and of North American indigenous cultures. He was equally known for his generosity to students, and commitment to building programs both on campus and across professional societies. After his retirement in 2011, the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences created The Raymond D. Fogelson Prize in his honor, for the highest distinction in the field of ethnology or history. Legendary for his wild sense of humor and generosity of spirit, Fogelson’s professional service included supporting new anthropology programs on multiple campuses, establishing and nurturing professional societies, and mentoring students working at the intersection of Native American Studies, the Anthropology of Museums, Psychological Anthropology, and Ethnohistory.

Fogelson served as the President of the Central States Anthropological Society in 1983 and the President of the American Society for Ethnohistory in 1987. He was also the book review editor for American Anthropologist for many years and mentored many emerging scholars in this roll. Fogelson maintained a vast professional network of former students and colleagues and was a highly in demand lecturer and invited speaker throughout his career. He held visiting professorships at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California-Santa Cruz, twice at the University of California-San Diego, and three times at Princeton University.  

Fogelson conducted field work with members of the Eastern Cherokee, Shuswap, and Oklahoma Cherokee and Creek communities. A prolific writer of articles and scholarly reviews, Fogelson’s books include The Cherokees: A Critical Bibliography, an edited collection Contributions to Anthropology: Selected Papers of A. Irving Hallowell and a co-edited collection with R.N. Adams The Anthropology of Power.  Fogelson’s most prominent publication was as sole editor of the Smithsonian’s authoritative Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 14, Southeast.

Fogelson was a devoted teacher, with boundless energy for people and scholarship, and made vital contributions to intellectual life on the University Chicago campus. A memorial will be announced in the coming months. Our thoughts and condolences go out to all his family and friends.