(April 19, 2022)—I cannot think of a Southwestern archaeologist and scholar who has made a more positive impact on our field than Gwinn Vivian (1935–2022). And the effect his recent passing is having on all of us who were fortunate to know him only goes to show the personal impacts this gentle, thoughtful man had on so many.
Because I did not attend the University of Arizona, my path to knowing Gwinn happened a little differently from my colleagues at Archaeology Southwest and other Southwestern archaeology friends. Still, there is no question that Gwinn had a lasting impact on my development as an archaeologist and a Chaco scholar.
What stands out to me, as I look back over the years I was fortunate to know him, is Gwinn’s unfailing generosity.
I met Gwinn in the early 1990s while I was employed with the Navajo Nation Archaeology Department. Many of the sites I was fortunate to investigate dated to the Basketmaker and early Pueblo period of Puebloan society. Gwinn wrote the concluding chapter for the edited volume about that work that was published in 2000 (Foundations of Anasazi Culture). Gwinn not only brought his vast knowledge of San Juan Basin archaeology to bear, but also incisively identified avenues for future Basketmaker research.
As my subsequent work on the partnership between Archaeology Southwest and Salmon Ruins Museum got underway in 2001, it quickly became clear that I needed an all-star team of Chacoan and Southwestern archaeologists to bring the late Cynthia Irwin-Williams’s vision of Salmon Pueblo’s importance into current academic thinking. Gwinn was a key member of that team, providing perceptive comments during a dedicated Salmon working conference in 2004 and writing a wonderful summary chapter that appeared in Chaco’s Northern Prodigies in 2008.
For a 2004 book project (The Puebloan Society of Chaco Canyon) for Greenwood Press’s “Guides to Historic Events of the Medieval World,” Gwinn agreed to provide a substantial review in prepublication, and his incisive comments improved my prose and significantly affected my evolving and durable view of the nature of the Puebloan world in Chaco Canyon.
Gwinn Vivian’s willingness to share his unparalleled knowledge with students, younger scholars, colleagues, and members of the public was boundless, gracious, and sincere. It’s why I have always thought of him as—and he will always be for me—the Dean of Chaco.
Finding aid for the Gwinn Vivian Collection, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, National Park Service (2009) (opens as a PDF)
Roots of Southwestern Archaeology Oral History Project interview with Gwinn, Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (December 8, 2020) (opens at YouTube)
Interview with Gwinn for the Oblique Views exhibition, which opened at the Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures in October 2015 (excerpt) (full version) (opens at YouTube)
Living in Chaco: Interpreting Chaco, Tea and Archaeology presentation by Gwinn for Archaeology Southwest (2012) (opens at YouTube) *Please be aware that this is an older video. You will need to turn up the sound and/or wear headphones—but it will be worth it!
4 thoughts on “In Memoriam: Gwinn Vivian”
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I remember Gwinn as friendly and helpful as well, although we did not work together closely, he advised me during my graduate studies and helped me get a job with the Western Archeology Center as seasonal ranger. So sorry to hear of his passing, he will be missed by many. — James Michael Hewitt
Thank you for these tributes to Gwinn. Gwinn Vivian was indeed my mentor as he was for Bill and Paul and many others. Few people truly inspire, but Gwinn planted an idea with me as a student in 1974 that I would later bring forward. He inspired me to strive for creative solutions, to advocate for the resource, and engage a diverse public to appreciate and take ownership of their heritage – quite literally. Gwinn and the success story of Salmon Pueblo were ultimately the inspiration for Pima County’s first-ever historic preservation bond program, which was initially greeted with some skepticism because it was a new, untested idea. With voters approving bonds in 1997 and 2004, a diverse set of cultural and historic sites were preserved and rehabilitated, and its success is certainly a high point of my career and for the County. Gwinn was also perhaps the kindest and most generous person I have ever met, and he continues to inspire me to be the same. I am very grateful for having known him. — Linda Mayro
As an undergrad at UA, I have a multitude of memories of Dr. Vivian. The most memorable follow:
I took his CRM class (along with a panolpy of graduate students. It began at 8 a.m. As a morning person, that suitedr me. It did not for most others in that class. I remember Dr. Vivian walking in one particular morning, observing minutely as he did, and saying, “You’ve got to weke up. I want everyone engaged. If I have to make coffee for you, I will. Let’s begin.”
Later, during that same class, we had a field trip to a powerline project. I no longer recall the locale. He told us to look down and tell him of any anomalies. One student, a full-bearded fellow named Gary who went on to do CRM work for the federal government in CO, said there were no artifacts under the wires strung between the powerline towers. Dr. V was delighted. He said it was because rain dripped from the lines, and if we looked closely we could see the effect of that phenomenon. At that moment, a young blonde woman ran up too him, fllushed, holding an enormous, hard, dry cow pie in her hands, saying, “Look what I found! What artifact is this, Dr. Vivian?” Not a whisper of a smile crossed his face. He told her its origin perfuntorily and sans any judgment whatsoever. Looking back, I think it was a teaching moment for all of us.
We were asked to meet with him to get our grades for the class. I recall how almost panicked I was. I worked like heck in his class. I knew he liked my writing, but never missed an opportunity to question my word choices. For example: I used “plenary session” in one paper and he wrote in the margin, :”Why not say ‘summary’? You’ll send most archaeologists to the dictionary.”
I entered his office, took a seat and we exchanged greetings. He then said, “Before I give you your grade I want you to know I agonized over this. It was not an easy decision for me.”
He showed me the B. I glanced at it then said, “Apparently you did not agonize long enough.”: He threw his head back and laughed. Now, I could take that response in one of several ways. I know I surprised him. I thought, “What the heck? No A.” And spoke my truth. With a twinkle in his eyes he said, “Clara, I never exoected that!”
We parted. I’ve never regretted that B. I’ve always thought of that event as The Day I Made Gwinn Vivian Laugh Like Hell.
May his memory be a blessing. — Clara Gualtieri
This reflection and seeing other people’s memories brings to mind how generous Gwinn has been as a friend and mentor in my own life. It has been incredibly sad for me to think that Gwinn has passed, and yet, I know so well that he lived a rich, full life. Gwinn sort of took me under his wing when I was in my last year at the University of Arizona in 1994. We became friends while I was a student working at the Arizona State Museum. After graduation I went to Laguna Pueblo, NM for several months. At that point we started corresponding through written letters. We continued to correspond over many years.
My path was not archeology or anthropology. Yet, Gwinn dedicated time, friendship and care to me as a human being. Some of the guidance he shared with me in those pivotal years helped to guide my path forward. I remember him saying things in letters and in person such as, “I have no doubt that whatever you do with your life, I know it will be good” and “you can’t do everything you want to do in life, but you can do some of it.” He helped me feel faith in myself when I was feeling adrift. He celebrated when things went well for me and he asked me to slow down when things were tough or rocky. He inspired me and gave me a model for how to live and be in the world through the way that he and his wife, Pat, had chosen to live. I am very sad and I will miss Gwinn. Yet I am so grateful to have had a chance to experience is generosity and friendship. — Maggie Jarry