Albert Arch Dekin Jr

Albert Arch Dekin Jr. died unexpectedly January 28, 2010 at his home in Newark Valley, NY, the town where he had resided since 1976. He is survived by his son Albert A. Dekin III of Lexington, MA, his daughters Kelly Ann Kassela of Singapore, Kerry Lynn Brown of Mooresville, NC, and Kirsten Leigh Klanian of Middletown, RI, their spouses, 11 grandchildren and Ruth D. Hoaglin, mother of his children. Born January 24, 1944 in Hodge, LA to Frances and Albert Dekin and spending his formative years in Maine, he, like his parents, dedicated himself to the ideal that education extends beyond the classroom, that the unknown should be discovered not feared, and that all learning is a journey not a destination. He earned an A.B. in Anthropology with Distinction from Dartmouth College in 1965 and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 1975. His career as a teacher and researcher began and ended in the SUNY system, beginning in 1968 at the State University of New York College at Potsdam and ending with a recent retirement from Binghamton University. His early fieldwork took him from the desert southwest to the woodlands of upstate New York and greater New England. A profound confluence of intellectual curiosity and wanderlust was reserved for the Arctic where he found great joy and significant discovery in the wilds of Alaska and Canada. Many such adventures culminated in publication including an article in the June 1987 National Geographic. His academic career was punctuated by multiple and different administrative roles from Department Chairs to Executive Director and Director of campus wide information technology initiatives, each in his mind, an opportunity to explore and confront a fresh challenge. Professionally, he was most proud of his contributions to graduate education in Anthropology and Archaeology, spanning 32 doctoral dissertations and 45 masters theses, and most stimulated by his never-ending quest to open the eyes of undergraduate students with fresh self-referential material. Personally, he remains a beloved father, grandfather, and friend. Memorial gifts may be made to Binghamton University for graduate student travel or to a charity of your own choosing. Gifts to Binghamton University should be sent to Binghamton University Foundation Memorial Account #10351. Please note in memory of Albert Dekin Jr. in the memo section. Mail to: Binghamton University Foundation, P.O. Box 6005, Binghamton, NY 13902-6005. His family will receive friends at the MacPherson Funeral Home, Newark Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 from 4-7 PM. A memorial service will follow there at 7PM. Condolences and memories may also be shared at www.macphersonfuneralhome.com