Obituary of James Edward Ayres

JAMES EDWARD AYRES Died at his Tucson home Mar 10, 2015, after a valiant battle against leukemia. Born Sep 30, 1936, in Eau Claire WI to Wayne and Alice (Gutow) Ayres, Jim's family moved to Colorado in 1944. He graduated high school in Evanston WY in 1955, served in the US Air Force for 4 years, received a BA in Anthropology from Fresno State College in 1963, and an MA in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1970. Jim was a pioneer in historical archaeology of the West and remained active in the field until shortly before his death. He was one of the first archaeologists in Arizona to recognize the importance of historical-period sites and research to fleshing out the entire continuum of human existence in the American Southwest. Jim directed excavations for the Tucson Urban Renewal Project from 1967 to 1979, headed the research division at the AZ State Museum in 1978-1979, served as AZ State Historic Preservation Officer from 1979 to 1981, was adjunct faculty in the Department of Anthropology at Arizona State University from 1981 to 1998, held a long tenure as adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona from 1999 to 2013, and did independent consulting. His resume includes over 120 publications. Since the 1960s, he spent many summers cataloging historical logging sites in the Uinta Mts UT. Over the course of 15 years, Jim indexed all of Tucson's English-language newspapers that were published during the period from 1870 to 1911, the results of which will be published posthumously as an invaluable research tool for historians and archaeologists. Just one day before Jim's death, the Arizona Historical Society wrote a letter to Jim honoring him for his efforts on this monumental work and stating that the room where he conducted his research at the AHS will, upon publication of the index, be publicly renamed in his honor. Unfortunately, Jim died unaware of this singular honor. Jim took service to his profession very seriously. His elected offices included Secretary-Treasurer of the American Society for Ethnohistory (1971-1979), President of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (2004-2007), and President of the Society for Historical Archaeology (1977). He also served as a Director or Advisor for four organizations, including the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Arizona Preservation Foundation, the Fresno County (CA) Historical Society, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Jim's local service was no less impressive. He chaired the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, the City of Tucson Sign Code Advisory and Appeals Board, the Arizona Governor's Archaeological Advisory Commission, and the DM Federal Credit Union Loan Review Committee. He also served as a member of the Pima Association of Governments Transportation Enhancement Task Force, the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, the Old Pueblo Trolley Board of Directors, and the Arizona Historical Society State Board of Directors, among others. In recognition of his strong commitment to historical preservation and archaeology both locally and nationally, Jim has received several significant awards. In 1995 he received both the Alene Dunlap Smith Award for Contributions to Historic Preservation from the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission and the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation from the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office. The Society for Historical Archaeology honored Jim in 2008 with the J. C. Harrington Medal for Lifetime Achievements in Historical Archaeology, and in 2014 bestowed upon Jim the Carol V. Ruppé Distinguished Service Award. To date, Jim is only the second person to have received both awards from the Society. Also in 2008, Jim received an Award in Public Archaeology: Professional Archaeologist category from the Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission. Finally, in 2012, Jim received the Governor's Centennial Award in Historic Preservation. Jim is survived by his wife, Marianne F. (Kay) Ayres, with whom he spent 43 years, often traveling or learning about wines, and three brothers: Larry, Bill (also an archaeologist), and Jon. No plans for a memorial have been made, but contributions may be sent to the Arizona Historical Society Archives, Tucson, or the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie WY. Arrangements by Adair Dodge Funeral Home.