John Richard "Dick" Ambler, a
retired anthropology professor at Northern Arizona
University, died April 26, 2010. He was 76.
He was born on Jan. 23, 1934, in
Denver to John Vernon and Mary Louise (Sterling)
Ambler. He received his bachelor's degree from the
University of Colorado, a master's degree from the
University of Arizona and a Ph.D. from the
University of Colorado, Boulder.
His early career included working
for the National Park Service at Mesa Verde
National Park and Great Sand Dunes National
Monument. He did his post-doctoral work on coastal
sites in Texas for the Texas Archaeological
Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at
Austin.
In 1967, he joined the anthropology
faculty at NAU in Flagstaff. His research
interests focused on the American Southwest and
became concentrated on the Colorado Plateau and
Kayenta Anasazi culture, in particular. He
participated in major projects, including the Glen
Canyon expeditions, Navajo Mountain projects and
excavations in western New Mexico. He used a
multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the
past, incorporating scientific standards and
Native points of view. Field notes and
documentation of his work are archived at the
Museum of Northern Arizona.
In 1977, he authored the popular
book "The Anasazi: Prehistoric People of the Four
Corners Region," with photographs by Marc Gaede.
His bibliography includes more than 38
professional publications, as well as volumes of
unpublished work. His personal interests included
pottery making, etching, pyrotechnics, travel,
fiction writing, photography, carpentry,
aboriginal technology, politics and helping to
organize the Fort Valley volunteer fire
department.
In 1985, he suffered a severe brain
injury, forcing his early retirement in 1986.
After his recovery, Mr. Ambler became passionate
about live music and was often referred to as
"Dick the Dancin' Man" in Flagstaff. As a fixture
in the local community, he was voted the
"Barometer of Cool" by Flagstaff Live! in 2002. He
was known for his elaborate self-made jewelry and
colorful shirts.
He was active in the local
Libertarian party, running twice for county
supervisor and was a strong proponent of medical
marijuana. After retirement, he continued to
remain active in the Southwestern archaeological
community.
After a second traumatic brain
injury in 2008, he moved to Denver to be closer to
his daughters for care. Eight months after being
diagnosed with a lung tumor, Dick died peacefully
with his three living children -- Kelly, Bridget
and Devon -- by his side.
He is also survived by his brother,
Peter Ambler of Wilmington, N. C.; stepsiblings
Julie Meyers of San Francisco, and Melanie Sargent
and Lawrence Modesitt of Denver; stepmother,
Elizabeth Modessitt Ambler of Denver; former
spouses Karen O'Sullivan of Deming, N.M., and
Patty Richards of Ensenada, Mexico; three
granddaughters; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his parents;
his brother, Robert Sterling Ambler; and his son,
George Michael Ambler.
A memorial service will be at the
Mercury Café in Denver on May 22. A subsequent
memorial will be in Flagstaff in June. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be made to the Museum
of Northern Arizona J. Richard Ambler Fund for
processing his research collection.
Published
by Arizona Daily Sun on May 8, 2010.
