In Memoriam: Distinguished University Professor Mark Leone

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences joins with the Department of Anthropology (ANTH) and the entire university community in mourning the loss of our cherished colleague and friend, Distinguished University Professor Mark Leone. Leone died on December 11, 2024. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Nan Wells.

"Mark Leone was an example of true excellence, both in his groundbreaking research at some of Maryland's most historic places, as well as in his committed guidance and mentorship of students. As a Distinguished University Professor, he represented the best of our faculty, and he will be deeply missed," said University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines.

Members of the university community reflected on Leone's legacy with admiration, gratitude and fondness.

“Living up to his name, Dr. Leone was a lion in our field. He was a world-renowned archaeologist who profoundly changed our discipline. He was a passionate scholar, a fierce advocate for his students, an adept negotiator, and a visionary leader,” said Professor and Chair Barnet Pavão-Zuckerman. “Mark cared deeply about the success of his colleagues and the Department of Anthropology, and was not afraid to tell us when he thought we could do better. He was usually right. He was a serious man, but mention his beloved grandson and his face would light up with pure delight. That is how I will remember him.”

In addition to being a loving father and grandfather, and a friend to many, Leone was an exceptional scholar, teacher, and mentor. He is renowned in the fields of critical theory–especially as it applies to archaeology–and historical archaeology. 

“Mark Leone was one of the giants in the field of archaeology. He was at the forefront of developing public archeology and he was a pioneer in introducing critical theory to the field. While these ideas were initially resisted, they are now an integral part of the discipline,” said Professor Paul Shackel, a former chair of ANTH. “His presence in Woods Hall as well as on the national stage, challenging the status quo, will be missed.”

Leone was committed to public interpretation of archaeology, and a special focus of his work was bringing graduate students into his research and projects. In so doing, he encouraged many generations of scholars, public servants, educators, and community builders.

Since 1981, he directed the Archaeology in Annapolis program, a partnership between UMD and the Historic Annapolis Foundation. The program promotes better understanding of the rich and diverse past of Annapolis through the interpretation of material culture. 

Shackel noted that, through the program, Leone trained hundreds of undergraduates and fostered the development of about 20 Ph.D. graduates. 

Starting in 2000, Leone led the program’s expanded mission of working on Maryland’s Eastern Shore at William Paca’s 1792 plantation on Wye Island, as well as Wye House. Wye House is the home of the Lloyd family where Frederick Douglass, the acclaimed abolitionist and orator, was enslaved as a child.

Since 2012, Archaeology in Annapolis has worked with the historic African American community of The Hill in Easton, Maryland. In 2014, the program joined with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) to investigate the archaeology of 19th century African American history at the SERC’s Edgewater, Maryland campus.

“Professor Leone’s commitment to involving and educating current members and descendents of the communities he studied, long before it was common practice, is one of the reasons why Maryland’s Department of Anthropology became a leading hub for applied anthropology,” said Research Professor of Anthropology and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Katherine Russell. “He was a demanding professor and mentor who expected a lot, but also invested and supported his students in ways that changed their lives and launched their careers.”

Archaeology in Annapolis reports with catalogs on nearly 40 excavations can be found on the University of Maryland’s Digital Archive, known as DRUM. A physical component of the collection is housed in the National Trust room of Hornbake Library on the University of Maryland campus.

Reflections from Students, Colleagues and Friends

“Dr. Leone was one of my favorite people. In the past seven years of being his student, he was a constant presence in my life.  He was my sounding board for all of my professional endeavors, but he was much more than an academic advisor. He taught me how to be a serious scholar, but he also taught me to look for the beautiful things in life. He encouraged me to visit new places and experience new things -- to have a life outside of my research, and most importantly, to enjoy it.

"Another thing that always struck me about him was how much he deeply respected his students, including his undergraduate students. He was always interested in what they had to say, and he would thank them when they taught him something new. His curiosity was endless. He was always exploring and experimenting with new ways of thinking about things. There will never be another person like him, and I am grateful to have had the immense privilege of being his student."
–Samantha Lee

“Dr. Mark Leone was a member of my hiring committee back in 2008. His sense of humor put me at ease during the interviewing process. He was not only my colleague, but over the years, he became my friend. I would look forward to catching him in the hall to discuss his grandson. I will miss him greatly.”
–Sybil Paige, ANTH Director of Administrative Services

“These were the lenses then to which I quickly viewed Mark's career at UMD: his commitment to involving local community members, along with his students, in not necessarily changing those communities, but involving them in learning the history of their own communities, knowledge which might eventually bring change in ways that they might select. That is, Mark was actually doing applied anthropology, not simply writing, or talking about it in the classroom or at conferences.

“So, as I say goodbye to my brother Mark, I know that his ancestors are proud of the time that he has spent here, not so much because of his personal achievements (although those were abundant), but perhaps more so because of his attempts at paying forward the gifts that they had passed on to him, to the multiple generations of students that he trained in his community-based approach to archeology. And wherever he ends up at the end of this transition, I am sure that those ancestors will welcome him with pride for a life well lived during his time on Earth.”
–Professor Emeritus Tony Whitehead
 

Published on Tue, Dec 17, 2024 - 10:48AM