Renowned archaeologist and SMU Professor Emeritus of Anthropology Fred Wendorf has put down his trowel to record the adventures of his 60-year career. His book, Desert Days: My Life as a Field Archaeologist, has been published by SMU Press in cooperation with the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies in Dedman College.
Wendorf is notable for many important discoveries, including most of what is known about the prehistory of northeastern Africa. He also helped preserve archaeological sites in the American Southwest when natural gas pipelines were laid in New Mexico. His excavations in that state unearthed the remnants of Fort Burgwin, established by the U.S. Army in 1852 near Taos. He reconstructed the fort based on the archaeological evidence he found of the original vertical log buildings. Today, Fort Burgwin is the site of SMU-in-Taos.
The author of more than 30 books, Wendorf joined the University in 1964. In 1987, he became the first SMU faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Click here for more information or to obtain a copy of the book.