Tag: In Memoriam

Oct. 29, 2025 — We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Anthropology Affiliate Associate Professor of Practice David Neil Schmitt, who died of natural causes on October 16, 2025, just one day before his 66th birthday. 

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Schmitt was a proud Oregon State University alumnus, earning both his B.S. in Anthropology and M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Archaeology and Geography.

Schmitt began his career researching the ancient peoples of the Great Basin, conducting extensive fieldwork throughout the region. He later devoted more than two decades to anthropological and archaeological research in the Central African Republic, collaborating closely with his wife and research partner, Karen Lupo, Professor of Anthropology at SMU.

Together, they pioneered prehistoric research in the Central African Republic, where little was previously known about early hunter-gatherer societies. Their groundbreaking work dated some of the oldest rock art in the Congo Basin and discovered the only known prehistoric pit iron mines in the region, expanding global understanding of human innovation and adaptation.

They advanced understanding of hunter-gatherer societies, environmental adaptation, and human ecology, contributing significantly to the fields of archaeology and anthropology through numerous publications and international collaborations. Their research continues to shape how scholars understand the deep human past and the enduring relationship between people and their environments.

Schmitt’s full obituary can be read here. 

July 15, 2025 — We are saddened to announce the death of Clavil Garth Sampson, founding member and Professor Emeritus of SMU’s Department of Anthropology.

Sampson received his BA in Archaeology in 1962 from the University of Cape Town. He went on to complete a second BA at the University of Cambridge in 1965, and received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 1969. He taught briefly at University of Cape Town (1967–1968), the University of California at Berkeley (1969–1970), and the University of Oregon (1970–1972).

In 1972, Sampson accepted the position of Associate Professor in Anthropology at SMU.  He remained at SMU for 25 years, retiring as Professor of Anthropology in 2007.  In retirement, he joined the faculty at Texas State University, where he worked with his former SMU graduate student Britt Bousman to finish decades of archaeological research in South Africa.  

During his his career, Sampson published nearly 60 articles and monographs while mentoring six PhD and two MA students using data from his work. He was predeceased by his wife, Beatrix Sampson (née Cameron; 1939–2024).  He is survived by his sister Marion, as well as by his nephews Andre and Christian, and their spouses and children. 

We thank Britt Bousman and Janette Deacon for informing us of Garth’s passing. Their obituary of Garth will appear in a forthcoming issue of Azania.

Update: On July 29, 2025, Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa published an obituary for Sampson. It can be found here.