With deep sorrow, yet with gratitude for the cherished memories of a life well lived, we announce the death of James M. Adovasio on October 4, 2026.
Jim, also broadly known as “Doc” to his friends, colleagues, students, and countless others who were drawn into his orbit, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, on February 17, 1944, to Lena Kikula Adovasio and James Arthur Adovasio. He is survived by his loving partner in life and research, wife Judith E. Thomas, stepsons Ross and David Astramecki, and their families. He was predeceased by his parents, his first spouse Rhonda L. Andrews, and Olga M. Soffer, the “sister” he never had. Dear friends too numerous to list mourn his passing.
Jim received his undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1965 and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Utah in 1970. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution (1972–1973) before becoming Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh (1973–1990). In 1990, Jim moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, to become Chairman of the Department of Anthropology/Archaeology and Director of Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute at Mercyhurst University. He concluded his career at Mercyhurst in various senior positions (Provost, Counselor, and Dean), moving once again to direct the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in 2016. He concluded his career in the professional services sector with the firm APTIM and as Director of Archaeology at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.
Jim was a lifelong archaeologist who answered his calling only a few years after learning to walk and speak. A voracious reader, his grasp of subjects beyond his life’s vocation was a marvel to behold among scholars, students, and laypersons alike. His publishing record is immense and with few, if any, peers. The world’s pre-eminent expert on prehistoric, historic, and ethnographic textiles, Jim was probably best known for his expansive research into the late Pleistocene peopling of the New World and the discovery of Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Avella, Pennsylvania, west of Pittsburgh. Once heralded as the earliest well-documented human location in the Americas, the research at Meadowcroft — which continues to this day — has been bolstered by other ancient sites throughout the hemisphere.
Jim has left a rich legacy in his scholarship, in the lives and careers of his former students who must number in the thousands, and in the imagination of anyone who ever heard him speak about his vocation and experiences. He was indeed larger than life, loving to laugh and go fast on anything with wheels, yet always taking care to slow down to appreciate the nuances in things that others might miss. And he will be missed.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, October 8th from 3:00–7:00 pm at William Elkin Funeral Home, 65 South Lake Street, North East, Pennsylvania. A Mass of Christian Burial honoring Jim will be held on Friday, October 9th at 10:30 am at St. Gregory Thaumaturgus Parish Church, 48 South Pearl Street, North East, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, we invite all whose lives were inspired by Jim to emulate his legendary generosity by donating to their favorite cause.
Please send condolences to elkinfh.com
Posted online on October 06, 2026
Published in Erie Times-News
