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Richard J. Scheuer (1917–2008)

Richard J. Scheuer, a mainstay of BAR’s scholarship program that sends dozens of volunteers every year to archaeological excavations in Israel and Jordan, died on November 7, 2008, at age 91.

Dick was a major force in archaeological, Israel and Jewish philanthropy. Beneficiaries of his largesse included the William F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, the Israel Exploration Society, the Jewish Museum in New York and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), the major professional organization of Near Eastern archaeologists.

He served as a trustee of many of these institutions and took an avid amateur interest in the archaeology of all periods. He was a wise counselor and a warm friend.

He regularly attended conferences of professional archaeologists, where scores, sometimes hundreds, of scholarly lectures are delivered over several days. He was the only person who could sit through more of these lectures than I.—H.S.