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Obituary
Douglas B. Hanson,
Ph.D., 61, died June 17, 2013 in Huntington, WV after a long illness due to
complications of a bone marrow transplant received in 2007 to treat
leukemia. He was a retired research scientist, archaeologist, and
Renaissance man who deeply loved his family and friends.
He was born in Pasadena, CA in 1952 to Harlow Francis and Margaret Ruth (Lorbeer)
Hanson. Upon graduating high school, he attended Prescott College where he
forged his lifelong interests in anthropology, science and literature. He
went on to obtain his Ph.D. from Cornell University in biological
anthropology. His friends and colleagues describe him as an intellectual
giant and gentleman. He marveled that life allowed him to travel to faraway
places and work with some of the greatest names in physical anthropology. He
conducted the majority of his fieldwork in the Four Corners region of the
United States, the islands of Yap, Ulithi, and Palau in the eastern
Carolines of Micronesia, and all of the major islands of the Marianas
archipelago. His passion for fieldwork also lead him to research sites in
Nevada, Illinois, Missouri, New York, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia,
Iceland, and South Africa. He worked at The Forsyth Institute in Boston
first as a research scientist and later as the Chief Technology
Officer/Executive Director of Information Systems. While ill, he
accomplished a major goal of securing funding for a state-of-the-art data
center which was completed, named after him and dedicated in October of
2012. He considered it his pleasure and his duty to mentor and encourage his
co-workers as well as to do everything he could to facilitate their work.
While he took pride in his academic and professional achievements, he
considered his daughter, K.T. (Katherine Tigner) Hanson to be his greatest
accomplishment. He is also survived by his fiancé, Connie Leinen; former
wife, Claire C. Gordon; sister-in-law, Martha Gordon, and her husband, Roy
Welburn; and two sisters, Deborah Gagnon and Victoria Weeks. He was preceded
in death by his parents and his brother, Grant Hanson. He loved travel,
reading, Mexican food, lobster, a well-told tale, and the anonymous donor
that allowed him to live long enough to see his daughter graduate from Notre
Dame, beginning her own career in anthropology. He wished to be cremated and
have his ashes scattered in the places he loved. A private memorial service
will be held at a later date. The family has requested that in lieu of
flowers, donations be made to the Douglas B. Hanson Anthropology Library
Fund, c/o City National Bank, ATTN: Ann Kipp, 1900 Third Avenue, Huntington,
WV 25703. The donations will be used to supplement the anthropology library
holdings at Prescott College. He would be delighted at the thought of a
student developing a passion for anthropology after coming across a book in
the library. The family greatly appreciates the love and support pouring in
from all corners of the earth. As Doug so enjoyed story-telling.
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