FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A group of eminent Arctic archeologists and anthropologists from across the country will gather on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Fayetteville for a one-day workshop titled "Four Decades of Advances in Arctic Anthropology."

Scheduled events will begin at 9 a.m., in the Bailey Conference Hall at the Mount Sequoyah Conference Center, 150 N.W. Skyline Drive, Fayetteville. The workshop will honor prominent Arctic archaeologist and University of Arkansas professor Dr. Allen P. McCartney as he prepares to retire from the department of anthropology in Fulbright College.

McCartney has made vital and lasting contributions to Arctic anthropology during his 40-year career. His peers consider McCartney’s groundbreaking work as instrumental in shaping the direction of archaeological research in the Arctic.

"Beginning in the mid-1960s, Allen dedicated his life to understanding the peoples of Arctic North America and whaling as a unique cultural adaptation of the Inuit peoples," said Dr. Mary Jo Schneider, chair of the anthropology department. "His work in the Arctic is balanced by his interests in more elaborate early world civilizations, especially those in prehistoric Latin America.

"He will leave a legacy of high-quality research, publications and service to the academic community," said Schneider.

Speakers contributing to the workshop include a number of noted Arctic anthropologists from throughout North America, all of whom have been profoundly influenced in their own research by McCartney.

An Arkansas native, Allen P. McCartney received his Bachelor of Arts with High Honors in sociology/anthropology from the University of Arkansas in 1962. He earned his Master of Arts in 1967 and his doctorate in 1971 from the University of Wisconsin, where he specialized in northern archaeology. Since 1962, he has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Alaska, primarily in the Aleutian Islands and northwestern coastal Alaska.

McCartney joined the UA faculty in 1970, serving as chair of the department of anthropology from 1978 to 1984. In 1998, he became director of the interdisciplinary Environmental Dynamics doctorate program, which he helped to establish.

"Allen was the unanimous choice to be its director. His broad interests, his willingness to listen to multiple perspectives, and his wisdom and experience have made the program a model of interdisciplinary success," Schneider said.

McCartney has focused his research on the importance of the bowhead whales in Thule Eskimo and Inupiak societies, exotic material trade in the Arctic, maritime adaptations, and Alaskan prehistory. He has served on the Board of Governors of the Arctic Institute of North America and as editor of Arctic Anthropology, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. He has also received numerous major research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Geographic Society, and is author or editor of several monographs and over 50 journal articles and chapters. In 1999, Fulbright College named him a Distinguished Alumnus.

"Allen McCartney has often been the first to address what have subsequently become major focuses in the discipline," said John Dixon, professor of geography. "In addition to shaping the direction of the discipline through his own research efforts, he has influenced scores of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Many of these individuals have gone on to become truly significant contributors in Arctic anthropology."

Dixon said that recognizing McCartney’s outstanding contributions is particularly appropriate now, at a time when Arctic peoples are facing enormous challenges from both environmental change and threats to their cultural integrity.

The workshop, sponsored by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, will be hosted by the UA Environmental Dynamics Program and the department of anthropology. Professionals and graduate students in anthropology, geosciences, and environmental dynamics are encouraged to attend.

"Allen is admired for his collegiality, positive attitude, interest in the well-being of others and his remarkable dedication to his profession," Schneider said. "Students seek McCartney’s advice and cherish his friendship. Ties with Allen are long-term and deep. His retirement will leave a gargantuan gap at the University and in Arctic anthropology,"