Lawrence G. Dorothy died in Kalamazoo on November 6, 2005, after a long illness. Larry was a founding member of the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society, and was active in the state society as well. His involvement in the MAS on the state level included a term as president in 1978. He received the Ira Butterfield Award presented by the Conference on Michigan Archaeology in 1998.

All of Larry’s archaeological activities were guided by a view of the avocational archaeologist as an important contributor to archaeology as a whole, often adding a dimension that might not be otherwise accessible to archaeological research. This view stemmed from the activities of the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter which throughout its more than thirty year existence focused on locating, testing, and reporting sites in southwestern lower Michigan. The chapter was established in 1966 by Dr. Elizabeth B. Garland when she arrived at Western Michigan University to begin research in a region where the archaeology was essentially unknown. Members of the chapter knew the area well, and thus were able to contribute substantially to long-term research in the region. Chapter members in turn received the opportunity to develop their archaeological skills through working with Garland and WMU students, and through taking courses in prehistory at the university. Larry Dorothy was one who took full advantage of this opportunity, and in so doing proved the importance of being a knowledgeable participant in assembling a regional database.

Larry was 50 years old when he enrolled as a student at Western Michigan University in 1967. At the time, Larry was a retired Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy, a former journalist and publisher, and a restorer of rental properties. But, Larry started at WMU because he always wanted to go to college. After completing a B.A. in anthropology, he went on to obtain an M.A. in anthropology in 1978. Larry’s master’s thesis was on the ceramics from the Sand Point site (1978, 1980). This important primarily Late Woodland site in Baraga County was excavated by archaeologists from Western Michigan University after it was brought to their attention by Larry Dorothy himself, who was in contact with members of the Upper Peninsula Chapter of the MAS. In the case of Sand Point, Larry was the liaison between amateurs and professionals and was able to demonstrate the significance of this site to both groups.

Chapter activities and MAS responsibilities were taken seriously. Larry, along with Kalamazoo Valley Chapter members George and Maxine Spero and Alice Noecker, published a summary of chapter excavations at the mainly Middle Woodland Armintrout-Blackman site (1991). Again, collaboration with professional archaeologists was evident in the fact that the site was also the focus of a WMU field school, and the lithics were the subject of a master’s thesis. A full site report was prepared, and along with notes and collections, was deposited at the university in keeping with a commitment to properly preserve the data. Larry conducted a survey of the Portage River, which resulted in a 1981 report co-authored by Elizabeth Garland. In 1996, George and Maxine Spero, and Larry Dorothy reported on an extensive surface collection found during a 1973 survey of the Kalamazoo River drainage. The description of this important collection was Larry’s final contribution to formal archaeological research, but he continued to maintain an active interest in archaeology and to enrich the lives of all who knew him.