Fred Wendorf facts for kids

Denver Fred Wendorf (born July 31, 1924 – died July 15, 2015) was an American archaeologist. He was famous for his important discoveries in northeast Africa. He also started the Fort Burgwin Research Center and the Department of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. There, he was a special professor of prehistory. Fred Wendorf won many awards and was a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

The Life of Fred Wendorf

Fred Wendorf loved archaeology from a young age. When he was just 8 years old, he started finding and collecting arrowheads. He began studying archaeology at the University of Arizona in 1942.

Serving His Country

His studies were paused when he joined World War II. He served as a rifle platoon leader in the U.S. Army. Wendorf was injured in battle, earning him a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After his injury, he continued his college education at different universities. He studied at places like the University of Michigan.

Becoming an Archaeologist

Wendorf earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1948. He then received his doctorate degree from Harvard University in 1953. His first archaeology job was in New Mexico. He excavated about 150 sites along a natural gas pipeline.

Later, he became a research archaeologist at the Museum of New Mexico. An amateur archaeologist contacted him about old human bone fragments. This led to an important excavation known as the "Midland Man" site. This was a big moment in Wendorf's career.

Teaching and Exploring

After this discovery, Wendorf joined Texas Tech University. He started the first-ever summer archaeological field school there. In 1958, he returned to the Museum of New Mexico as an associate director.

Fred Wendorf was one of the first archaeologists to help with an international effort. This effort was to excavate along the Nile River Valley in Africa.

Focus on Africa and Shipwrecks

In 1964, Wendorf created the anthropology department at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He then shifted his archaeology work from the American Southwest to northeast Africa.

Wendorf also worked to protect historical shipwrecks. His efforts led to the Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987. This law helps protect old shipwrecks in the United States.

He directed the Combined Prehistoric Expedition in Africa until 1999. This expedition studied a long period of history, from the early Stone Age to the late Bronze Age. Their work gave us a lot of information about how people lived along the Nile and in the deserts during those times.

Awards and Later Life

Fred Wendorf received many awards for his important work:

• He received a medal from Egypt's supreme council of antiques in 1974.
• He was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 1987.
• He received the Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal for archaeological achievement in 1996.

Wendorf retired in 2003. He passed away on July 15, 2015, after a long illness. He was a father to six children: Gail, Cindy, Kelly, Carl, Michael, and Scott. He was also a husband to Christy Bednar and a brother to Mildred DiMaggio and Mary Ann Stripling.

See also

• Cantonment Burgwin
• Cemetery 117