All are invited to a celebratory reception for Dr. Don Blakeslee, professor of anthropology and archaeologist, who is retiring at the end of the spring semester, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 5 in the 107 Devlin Hall and the Devlin Atrium. This is a come and go reception with remarks scheduled for noon.
Blakeslee joined Wichita State in 1976 as an assistant professor of anthropology. He is known for his research in the archaeology of the Great Plains. His main contributions include — aside from his research on the Middle Ceramic period and the Walnut River Basin — the discovery of the Wichita settlement of Etzanoa in Arkansas City and his research into the larger nation of Quivira. He served as department chair from 1990 to 1993 and was awarded full professorship in 1997. From 1988 to 1991 and from 2004 to 2007, he was a coordinator of general education program at WSU. He also served as president of the Professional Archaeologists of Kansas and of the Archaeological Association of South Central Kansas (AASCK), a society for amateur archaeologists.