Eminent Texas archeologist Dee Ann Suhm Story passed away on December 26, 2010 at her home in Wimberley, Texas after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born to Emma and Eugene Suhm in Houston on Dec. 12, 1931, and was preceded in death by her parents; her sister Beverly Morgan; and her husband Hal, whom she married in 1961. She is survived by four nephews: Clayton Morgan, Tim Morgan, and Matt Morgan of Austin and Russell Morgan of Houston; her many friends from around the world; and her faithful dog, Callie.
Raised in Houston, Dee Ann attended Texas Women’s University in Denton and received two degrees in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin; a Bachelor of Arts in 1953 and a Masters of Arts degree in 1956. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1963 where she was one of the first women to graduate from that program. Dr. Story organized and directed the archeological laboratory at the University of Utah and participated in archeological fieldwork documenting sites before the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. She was one of the earliest women to actually work in the field alongside her male colleagues.
Her mentors at UT convinced Dr. Story to return to Texas, where she became Assistant Director for the Texas Archeological Salvage Project and taught in the Anthropology Department. From 1965 to 1987, she served as the first director of the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory in addition to her teaching responsibilities as a professor. Dr. Story’s accomplished career in archaeology and teaching included publication of many articles and monographs on Texas archaeology, directing numerous major archaeological and research projects in Texas, and instructing and inspiring her many students. As a teacher and mentor, she made a profound impact on her students’ lives.
Her main field of research focused on the ancestral Caddo culture of East Texas where she conducted fieldwork at Caddoan Mounds for many years. Dr. Story took an active role in both national and regional professional societies, including the American Anthropological Association, Society for American Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology, Plains Anthropological Society, Arkansas Archaeological Society, and Texas Archaeological Society.
Dr. Story retired from UT in 1987 and subsequently moved to Wimberley with Hal. Her work had just begun, however, as she became active in the community serving on numerous boards. She also continued her professional activities by serving on the boards of the Archeological Conservancy and the Shumla School and continuing to advise on archeological sites across the state. Dee Ann and Hal granted a conservation easement to the Archaeological Conservancy for a prehistoric site located on family land.
A visit with Dee Ann in Wimberley always led to stories from her extensive travels – to Antarctica, the Arctic, Greenland, Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, China, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Central America, the Galapagos, India, Bhutan, most every National Park in the U.S., and reluctantly, Europe. There were few places she travelled that would not reveal a new archeological site to her, and the professor would emerge as she taught her fellow travelers about the significance of her find. Antarctica and Africa were amongst her favorite places in the world, reflecting her admiration and fascination for geology and elephants.
Dee Ann considered dying a considerable inconvenience, as she had so much yet to accomplish. She will be missed by her family, many friends and her colleagues, but memories of her will last all our lifetimes. Donations in her memory may be made to The Dee Ann Story Educational Fund (P.O. Box 2788, Wimberley, Texas 78676) or the Archeological Conservancy (5301 Central Ave. NE, Suite 902, Albuquerque, NM 87108). A scholarship in her honor, the Dr. Dee Ann Story East Texas Archeology Scholarship, was recently established at Stephen F. Austin State University (P.O. Box 6096-SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX, 75962). Plans for a memorial service will be announced in the near future.
