W. Fred Kinsey III

April 25, 2022

A swan song! Fred dodged the bullet several times, but this last time he failed to duck. He died on April 25, 2022. Born in York, PA, Fred was the son of the late Walter “Bud” Kinsey, Jr., and Sarah (Switzer) Kinsey. Fred enjoyed a long, wonderful and a rich life filled with enduring friendships, professional achievements, and honors, capped with travels to near and far away places. The depression and World War II were the defining issues of his youth. Fred, his pals, and schoolmates lived their formative boyhood years during a more innocent, comfortable, and safe era. In his neighborhood, it was not unusual for kids to be home alone. Doors were frequently unlocked. We walked or rode bicycles to school. There were no yellow school buses. There was no TV, but radio programs were exciting, especially the cowboy Tom Mix, the Shadow and others that fostered one’s imagination. Handsome, dashing actors and glamorous actresses graced the silver screen and a ticket to the movies cost only a dime. We complained when the price was raised to eleven cents! In addition to school, Fred’s early days were filled with typical boyhood activities including building shacks and treehouses, picking, and selling cherries. His first “job” was a paperboy for the York Dispatch. He delivered the evening paper six times a week to about 130 customers and collected the weekly payments and for this work he earned the princely sum of $3.25 per/week. Fred socialized with his neighborhood friends. He learned to swim at the local YMCA. Boy Scout Troop 13 and summer camping at Scout Camp Ganoga along the Conowago Creek were important activities in his young life. Fred earned his Eagle Scout badge with bronze, gold, and silver palms. These were significant rites of passage during the teen years. Following graduation from York’s William Penn High School in 1947, he attended Columbia College in New York and graduated in 1951. During Fred’s exciting undergraduate days, he was president of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and manager of the varsity swimming team. Together with his classmates, he explored the many cultural opportunities offered in the Big Apple. After graduation, he returned to Columbia for graduate study in anthropology with his wife Bette (Keesey) Kinsey, a registered nurse. Fred and Bette shared 49 years of married life until she died in 2000. While at Columbia, Fred received a master’s degree in 1953 and was immediately drafted (1953 to 1955) into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After basic training at Fort Gordon, GA, Fred received advanced training at two signal corps technical schools at Fort Mammoth, NJ. From there he was sent to the large signal supply center in Yokohama, Japan. This was ten years after World War II ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fred took advantage of every opportunity to travel and explore Japan. Back in Pennsylvania, Bette gave birth to their daughter, Amy. Upon completion of his military service, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission employed him from 1955 to 1963, as state archeologist and subsequently chief curator of the Pennsylvania State Museum. In 1963, Fred was named director of the North Museum and assistant professor of anthropology at Franklin & Marshall College. These were challenging and exciting years. During the 27 years of his directorship, Fred guided the North Museum from a volunteer organization to a professionally staffed and fully accredited museum. In the summer months, armed with numerous grants, he and his students conducted archeological investigations and research in Washington Boro, Lancaster County and in Monroe and Pike Counties in the Upper Delaware Valley. One cause of great satisfaction and much pleasure is that Fred and a number of his former students have remained in close contact. They enjoy getting together for lunch or dinner and talking about the old days and sharing current research opportunities. He earned his PhD at Catholic University of America in 1973. After 27 years at Franklin & Marshall, he retired in 1990 as director of the North Museum and as a professor emeritus of the anthropology department. He had chaired that department for five years. Upon his retirement in 1990, the community room at the North Museum was named the Kinsey Room in recognition of his long tenure and numerous accomplishments. During the early years of his retirement, he continued to be active as an archeologist. He founded the Conestoga Valley Archeological Consultants and he conducted various archeological investigations in South-central Pennsylvania to identify and protect cultural-historical resources. During the course of his professional career, Fred authored three books, two scientific monographs and some seventy technical articles and book reviews. Fred was active in fostering the growth and increasing the professionalization of archeology in Pennsylvania and throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. He served the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology (SPA) in numerous offices, and he received the John Alden Mason Award. The SPA named an annual student award in his name and honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to archaeology. Fred was president of the Eastern States Archaeological Federation; he was a co-founder and president of Pennsylvania Archaeological Council and co-founder and president of the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Council. From 1979-80 he served as a senior faculty advisor to the National Park Service in Denver, CO. He was elected to Sigma Xi (the Scientific Research Society) and held several fellowships. In 2001, Fred married Carol Thompson, both long-time active members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster. Together, Fred and Carol enjoyed a marvelous and busy life. In addition to their extensive travels, they attended the rich cultural offerings of the Lancaster community. Fred served on the boards of numerous local non-profit organizations including the James Buchanan Foundation for the preservation of Wheatland where he served as president for several terms, and he served on the YMCA board and the YMCA Foundation, the Museum Council of Lancaster, the Pennsylvania State Historical Preservation and the board of the North Museum, and the Rock Ford Foundation. His numerous interests included landscaping, reading, and birding. Fred is survived by his faithful and loving wife, Carol Thompson with whom he shared and enjoyed 21 fun-filled years of travel and good living; a daughter, Amy Dooley wife of Larry Dooley, (Houston, TX); stepsons, Lyn Thompson and his wife Carol Thompson; Randal Thompson and his wife Anne Thompson. (Peyton, CO) and three step-grandchildren, Meredith and Dalton Thompson and Jacqueline Thompson. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster, 538 W. Chestnut Street, Lancaster, PA 17603, or the North Museum, 400 College Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation from 10:00 a.m until the time of service.