James Richard “Rick” Jones III, Ph.D. (1949-2023)
Dr. James R. “Rick” Jones III, Indiana’s second State Archaeologist, passed away on August 27, 2023. Dr. Jones retired from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) at the end of August 2014. He had been with the DHPA, Indiana’s State Historic Preservation Office, since 1987 and was appointed State Archaeologist in 1991, making him our longest-serving State Archaeologist.
On his last day of work before retirement from state government, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by then-Governor Mike Pence. At the time, the IDNR director and State Historic Preservation Officer stated that the award honored “his many decades of dedicated service to the archaeological resources of our state, the discipline of Midwest archaeology, and the people of Indiana.”
Dr. Jones received his B.A. in Anthropology and English from the University of New Mexico and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Indiana University. He had substantial experience in precontact and historical archaeology, and some of his research interests included historical cultures in Indiana, ethnohistory, urban and industrial archaeology in Indianapolis, and historic preservation.
During his tenure as State Archaeologist, several notable accomplishments in Indiana archaeology included:
- creation of the Indiana Archaeology journal,
- establishment of an annual statewide celebration of archaeology in Indiana,
- increase in archaeological personnel at the DHPA,
- additions to the state historic preservation and archaeology statute affording protection to archaeological sites on all ground in Indiana dating before December 31, 1870, resulting in the protection or recovery of information from numerous sites,
- considerable increase in subsurface archaeological investigations and protection of historical archaeological sites,
- accumulation and archiving of archaeological site records into one centralized location and initiation of computerization of archaeological site information,
- service as Secretary for the Native American Council (1992-2003),
- service as a designated member of the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission (2006-2008),
- and numerous archaeological data recovered from Indiana Department of Natural Resources state properties.
After retiring from state government service, he kept active in archaeology by working as a Principal Investigator at Weintraut & Associates, Inc.
Rick was much more than an archaeologist. He was a talented musician, a mentor to many archaeologists and students of archaeology, a collector of books, an educator, a lover of the outdoors, and a valued friend to many people. He had a great sense of humor and was very kind and patient. His family, especially his wife Tina, and colleagues and friends will certainly miss him, particularly in the archaeology and historic preservation communities.
Dr. Jones’ positive impact on Indiana archaeology will be felt for many years.