Jim Petersen was one of the good guys in our field. I first met Jim when I
was working on the Champlain Pipeline through Vermont, New Hampshire, and
Massachusetts around 1990. He was a star in our field then, and has
continued to contribute since. My best to his families, students, and
friends at this difficult time.

Pat Garrow


> [Original Message]
> From: Smith, Kimberly Michele <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 8/15/2005 7:33:43 PM
> Subject: Mourning the Death of Dr. James Petersen
>
> I'm sorry to say that the archaeological community lost a collegue and
good friend on August 13, 2005.  The tragic death of Dr. James Petersen is
a that of a great loss.  Condolences to his family and friends. 
>  
> Kim Smith (M.A. student at East Carolina University department of
anthropology)
>  
> Below is the news release from the University of Vermont:
>  
> http://www.uvm.edu/news/?Page=News&storyID=6562
>  
>
> Release Date: 08-15-2005
>
>
> University Mourns Death of Professor James Petersen
>
>
> Author: Thomas James Weaver
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Phone: (802)656-7996 Fax: (802) 656-3203 
>
> As a scholar, Professor James Petersen significantly influenced his field
with research in the Amazon that cast new light on conventional wisdom
regarding the population and degree of sophistication of ancient cultures
in the region. As a teacher, he brought boundless enthusiasm to the
classroom and his popular field courses. Working with Petersen, associate
professor of anthropology at UVM, inspired many students to further their
own study of archeology and anthropology. 
>
> On Sunday, August 14, the UVM community learned of the tragic loss of
Petersen. The previous day, while on a research trip with colleagues in
Brazil, he was shot and killed during a robbery in Iranduba, a small town
near the Amazon River. 
>
> "The university community is stunned by the tragic death of Jim Petersen,
one of our finest professors," said Provost John Bramley. "Jim was engaged
in pioneering work in his study of pre-Columbian cultures and was a gifted
and enthralling leader who brought his scholarship alive in the classroom.
Our condolences and support go out to Jim's wife and family at this
terrible time." 
>
> President Daniel Mark Fogel said, "As both an alumnus and as a
distinguished member of our faculty, Professor James Petersen was a shining
example of everything to which we aspire at the University of Vermont. His
death is a devastating loss not only to our community, but to the wider
circle of anthropological research, a field he dramatically reshaped
through his inspired work in the Amazon and elsewhere." 
>
> Professor Petersen, quoted in an article in the Spring 2005 issue of
Vermont Quarterly magazine, referred to himself as "a child of UVM." His
parents, James E. Petersen and Ella Chamer Noack, met on the campus and
were graduates of the Class of 1949. Professor Petersen received his
bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont in 1979 and joined the
faculty at his alma mater in 1997. 
>
> Michael Heckenberger, UVM Class of 1988, an anthropology professor at the
University of Florida, was among the many students Petersen inspired during
his career. He worked with him when Petersen was a visiting professor at
UVM, prior to joining the faculty full-time. The two would later
collaborate on ground-breaking work in the Amazon that questioned the
long-held belief that the Amazon was a "counterfeit paradise" lacking the
rich soils and protein sources needed to sustain significant human
populations. Through their study of deep layers of terra preta do Indio,
Indian dark earth, Heckenberger and Petersen made a strong case that
today's small-scale native settlements are the remnants of once-thriving
agricultural communities along the banks of the Amazon. 
>
> "To get the story right, that's my motive," Petersen told Vermont
Quarterly. "I work in the Amazon as part of a broader effort like I do here
in North America, in New England, the Caribbean and wherever else I work,
to see the correct story told. That we don't underestimate the degree of
sophistication, the degree of elaboration, the degree of complexity of the
native people." 
>
> Luis Vivanco, associate professor of anthropology at UVM and director of
the university's Latin American Studies Program, remembered Petersen as a
supportive colleague who was generous with his time. Vivanco accompanied
Petersen on a field course to the island of Anguilla and was struck by his
ability to connect with students as both teacher and friend. "He had the
highest expectations for the students' work on those trips," Vivanco said.
"He would pay incredibly close attention to what the students were doing in
their fieldwork. But at the end of the day, the seriousness was put aside
and he could just hang out." 
>
> "Jim is an infectious person and teacher," colleague and former student
Heckenberger recalled in the Vermont Quarterly article. "He attracts so
many people to anthropology. He is without a doubt one of the most powerful
and influential teachers I had." 
>
> For more on Professor James Petersen's work in the Amazon, see Vermont
Quarterly <http://www.uvm.edu/%7Euvmpr/vq/vqspring05/amazon.html>  on-line.
>
> 	
>
>