Jamie Chad Brandon

Jamie Chad Brandon (June 21, 1971-December 24, 2018) passed away after a brief battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Lydia Rees, his parents, Jerry and Jeanette Brandon, and his sister, Amanda Hilton and her family. Jamie was the Station Archeologist at the Arkansas Archeological Survey's University of Arkansas Research Station and a Research Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Brandon's career in archeology spanned three decades, involving fieldwork throughout the Southeast on sites ranging in age from the late Pleistocene to the early 20th century, and on a wide range of topics including land use through time, ethnicity and race relations, history of the pre-industrial South, and historical memory. Beyond producing an impressive record of scholarly research, Brandon is remembered for his unparalleled devotion to outreach activities for the general public about archeological discoveries and their relationship to understanding modern society. He was also a popular teacher, and mentored a host of students through internship, thesis, and dissertation projects. Following receipt of his bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Memphis, Jamie moved to Fayetteville in 1997 to enroll at the University of Arkansas, earning his M.A. in 1999. He earned his PhD in 2004 from the University of Texas-Austin after completing a dissertation on the 19th century sawmill site, Van Winkle's Mill. Returning to Arkansas, he was appointed the Survey's research station archeologist at Southern Arkansas University in 2006, where he pursued research on Native American Caddoan cultures, Civil War history, cemetery preservation, and development of the antebellum town of Old Washington, while teaching at SAU. Jamie transferred back to Fayetteville in 2014 to take the post of research station archeologist at the University of Arkansas, where he taught in the Anthropology Department. There, he continued his studies of Civil War history through projects at Prairie Grove State Park and Pea Ridge National Military Park. With spouse Lydia Rees, he also launched a series of research projects on archeological collections from Ozark bluff shelter sites, with a focus on important collections curated by the Survey and the University of Arkansas Museum. An enduring legacy of this effort is Rees' and Brandon's Bluff Shelters of the Arkansas Ozarks website. Jamie supported his profession through service as Associate Editor for Historical Archaeology and Associate Editor for Historical Archaeology for the Society for American Archaeology's newsletter. Jamie also served as Vice-Chairman of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, served a term as President of Preserve Arkansas, and served on the board of trustees of the Arkansas Historical Association. At the time of his passing, he served as the Chair of the Arkansas State Review Board for Historic Preservation and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Humanities Council. Memorial donations in memory of Jamie can be made to the Archeological Research Fund of the Arkansas Archeological Society or to Preserve Arkansas. A celebration of Jamie's life is being planned and the date will be announced. Arrangements by Epting Funeral Home of Fayetteville. Condolences: www.eptingfuneralhome.webs.com.