Gordon Randolph Willey was an American archaeologist who was described by colleagues as the "dean" of New World archaeology.
16 Facts About Gordon Willey
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Gordon Willey worked as an anthropologist for the Smithsonian Institution and as a professor at Harvard University.
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Gordon Willey's family moved to California when he was twelve years old, and he completed his secondary education at Long Beach.
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Gordon Willey attended the University of Arizona where he earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in anthropology.
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Gordon Willey worked at the historic site of Kasita, on the Georgia Piedmont near Fort Benning.
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In 1941, together with Marshall T Newman, Willey conducted research at Ancon in Peru, including in the area of Las Colinas.
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Gordon Willey headed archaeological expeditions in Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras.
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Gordon Willey discovered Monagrillo ceramics, the earliest known pottery in Panama.
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Gordon Willey became widely cited for his study and development of theories about the pattern of settlements of native societies.
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In 1973, Gordon Willey received the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement from the Archaeological Institute of America.
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Gordon Willey was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1952, a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1960, and the American Philosophical Society in 1984.
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Gordon Willey was awarded the Kidder Award for Eminence in the Field of American Archaeology from the American Anthropological Association and the Huxley Medal from the Royal Anthropological Institute.
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Gordon Willey was given honorary doctorates by the University of Arizona and the University of Cambridge.
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In 1987, Gordon Willey received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.
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Gordon Willey was awarded the Society's gold medal in 2000.
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Gordon Willey died of heart failure in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of 89.