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Lifetime achievement
Anthropology emeritus professor David Gradwohl has been honored by the
State Historical Society of Iowa.
- As a high school student David Gradwohl had the impression from class
that history only occurred in Europe and Lexington and Concord.
As an anthropologist and archaeologist, the emeritus professor of anthropology
knows that history is all around us.
"I grew up in Nebraska," Gradwohl said, "and I remember not much
was taught to me about the history of Nebraska. I was trained as a prehistoric
anthropologist, but when I arrived at Iowa State I sensed we needed to study
not only prehistoric sites but historical sites as well.
"Not much of that was done in Iowa."
As the first full-time anthropologist at Iowa State, Gradwohl established
the ISU Archaeological Laboratory and the university's summer field school
in archaeology.
That field school led to digs at the Red Rock Reservoir near Pella, Saylorville
Lake near Des Moines, and Buxton, an Iowa coal-mining town with a large
African-American population near present-day Oskaloosa. Those digs led to
discoveries of historical stoneware, pottery kilns and abandoned cemeteries.
"The fascinating thing about Buxton was so little had been written
on Blacks in Iowa," Gradwohl said. "I got intrigued by how much
information is lost in a brief period of time in the history of Iowa."
When Gradwohl and his team, which included Nancy Osborn Johnsen, LAS academic
advisor, first started to look into Buxton they had a photo of the town
that showed a thriving community of some 5,000 with two YMCAs and a hotel.
Abandoned when the coal company pulled out in the 1920s, nothing much remained
above the surface of the ground.
"On our first trip to Buxton, all we're seeing is a pasture,"
he said. "Everything else was gone. It raises questions and makes you
realize just how quickly a town can disappear.
"Our work in Buxton also shows us how much you can learn about a community
by combing through archaeological materials."
Gradwohl's foray into Iowa history made him a pioneer in his professional
field in his documentation of where and how both Euro-American pioneers
and Native Iowans lived. He was a co-founder of the American Indian Studies
Program on campus.
The State Historical Society of Iowa recognized his outstanding professional
career and interest in the history of the state this past summer. That organization
honored Gradwohl with its Petersen/Harlan Award, a lifetime achievement
award that is presented to an individual, group or organization that has
made significant long-term or continuing contributions to Iowa history.
"David has taught his students so much: to love research; to appreciate
local historical resources; to respect other cultures and traditions; and
to stand up for our beliefs," said Kathy Gourley, field historian with
the State Historical Society of Iowa.
Gradwohl's students have gone on to become state archaeologists in Iowa,
Kansas and Wisconsin. Former students are also associated with the State
Historical Society of Iowa, including Jerome Thompson, the state curator.
"David was interested in museum practice and gave us hands-on work
in collections management and exhibit techniques," Thompson said. "He
put his practice to work as a guest curator for an exhibit on Jewish prairie
women in Iowa at the State Historical Museum in 1998. It was great fun working
with him first as a student and then as a professional colleague."
Gradwohl describes his retirement as withdrawing from faculty meetings,
but not from anthropology. He has continued to serve on graduate student
committees. He has written, published and given papers at conferences. He
and his wife, Hanna, are researching ethnic cemeteries.
"I've always viewed my personal and professional lives as one,"
he said. "Anthropology wasn't my job but my way of life. I guess I
still feel like that. I don't think I'll ever retire as an anthropologist."
David Gradwohl
Around LAS
September 5-18, 2005
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