Ted Allan Rathbun Papers
name: label: Creator
content: Rathbun, Ted A., 1942-
label: Names
content: U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory
label: Names
content: University of Kansas. Department of Anthropology
label: Names
content: University of South Carolina. Department of Anthropology
place: label: Place
content: South Carolina
label: Place
content: Hierakonpolis (Extinct city)
label: Place
content: Glorieta National Battlefield (N.M.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Forensic anthropology
label: Topic
content: Biological anthropology
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Dr. Rathbun donated his professional papers to the National Anthropological Archives in 2005. Additional files were donated in 2013 by his wife, Babette Rathbun, after his death.
creator: label: Creator
content: Rathbun, Ted A., 1942-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ted Allan Rathbun Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: This collection is comprised of the professional papers of Ted Allan Rathbun. The collection documents his career as a forensic anthropologist and educator through correspondence, publications and teaching materials. The collection includes the publications resulting from his research in South Carolina, Egypt, and Glorieta, New Mexico, as well as a small portion of his research data. His other writings that can be found in the collection include his monographs, journal articles, papers presented at conferences, and reviews he wrote for various journals and publications. The collection also includes materials relating to his consulting activities for law enforcement agencies, and military and historical organizations. Additionally, the collection contains materials related to organizations that he was a member of and his syllabi and lecture notes as a professor at the University of South Carolina. The collection also includes Rathbun's course notes when, as a student at the University of Kansas, he studied under William Bass, Ellis Kerley and other notable anthropologists. Among his correspondents were J. Lawrence Angel, Eve Cockburn, Henry Dobyns, Henry Field, T. Dale Stewart, and T. Cuyler Young.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ted Allan Rathbun (1942-2012) earned his B.A. (1964), M.A. (1966), and Ph.D. (1971) in anthropology from the University of Kansas, where he studied under anthropologist William M. Bass. He taught English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran, where he became fluent in Farsi and did research for his doctorate.  He conducted research on topics as wide-ranging as population growth in Iran; the physical characteristics of Woodland Indians; Coastal South Carolina paleopathology; growth rates among ancient urban states; shark attacks and human remains; social class and health; the history of African American health; and predynastic cemeteries at Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt. Through his South Carolina field work and publications, Rathbun became noted for expanding the knowledge of Afro-American history from the colonial and Civil War times.

Rathbun was also a pioneer in establishing and expanding the use of forensic anthropology technology by law enforcement. He was licensed in South Carolina to assist coroners, law enforcement officials and medical examiners in identifying human remains. He and his students refined a process for the reconstruction of victim's faces, which were then used to assist in their identification. He served as a consulting physical anthropologist to the Charleston County Medical Examiner (1973-93); Deputy State Archaeologist for Forensics (1985-2000); and Consultant to the U.S. Military Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (1990-2003/2004) where he reviewed cases of military (and civilian) remains from the Vietnam, Korea, and WWII eras. He also participated in the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) efforts for identification of the victims of September 11, 2001.

Rathbun taught at the University of South Carolina for 30 years. He was a popular classroom professor and led research field trips with his students. In 1996 he received the Louise Fry Scudder Faculty Award, which recognized him for excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching, student mentoring and advising, and service contributions beyond the university. He retired from full-time teaching in 2000.

Rathbun was also a research associate of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology; director of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (1985-91); and for 15 years a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. In 2005, he was honored by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences with the T. Dale Stewart Award — its highest honor in Forensic Anthropology — for his lifetime achievements and contributions to the field. 

1942 -- Born April 11

1964 -- Married

1964 -- Earns B.A. from University of Kansas, Honors in Anthropology

1966 -- Earns M.A. from University of Kansas, Physical Anthropology

1966-1968 -- Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran

1970 -- Instructor at the University of South Carolina

1971 -- Earns PhD. from University of Kansas, (Physical Anthropology of SWAsia, Applied Cultural and Cultural Ecology). Dissertation:  An Analysis of the Physical Characteristics of the Ancient Inhabitants of Hasanlu, Iran

1971-1975 -- Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina

1975-1984 -- Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina

1984-2000 -- Professor at the University of South Carolina

1987-1989 -- Chairman of the Anthropology Department

1990-1996 -- Undergraduate Director

1996 -- Awarded Louise Fry Scudder professorship

1999 -- Named Distinguished Professor

2000 -- Named Distinguished Professor Emeritus

2005 -- Honored by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences with the T. Dale Stewart Award

2012 -- Passed away on November 14
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 26 Linear feet (53 document boxes, 4 record storage boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 folder, 3 computer disks)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1961-2004
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.2005-08
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Arranged into 10 series: 1) Correspondence (1969-2004); 2) Field Work (1976-1996, 2001); 3) Consulting Work (1974-2004); 4) Research Data (1977-1980); 5) Publications (1963-2001); 6) Grants (1977-1991); 7) Professional Organizations (1981-2000); 8) Grants and Publications Reviews (1974-2000); 9) University of South Carolina (1970-2004); 10) Education (1961-1970)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The papers of Ted Allan Rathbun were received well organized and documented. The processing archivist kept most of the existing groupings and arrangement and organized the first deposit into ten series. Folder titles assigned by the archivist are placed within square brackets. 

Files received in 2013 were prepared for deposit by Rathbun's colleague Michael Trinkley. Trinkley maintained Rathbun's original organization and folder titles and rehoused the files in archival folders and archival slide sleeves. He photocopied acidic notes on archival paper and transferred Rathbun's electronic files from a variety of CDs and 3.50" floppy disks onto a DVD-R. This accretion was physically added to the end of the collection, but intellectually integrated within the container list. Two series were added to accommodate Rathbun's collection of slides and electronic files.
bibliography: label: Selected Bibliography
content: 1972  -- An Analysis of the Physical Characteristics of the Ancient Inhabitants of Hasanlu, Iran. --  Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida: Field Research Projects.

1975  -- A Study of the Physical Characteristics of the Ancient Inhabitants of Kish, Iraq. --  Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida: Field Research Projects.

1982 (with Mark J. Brooks, Larry Lepionka and John Goldsborough, Jr.)  -- Preliminary Archaeological Investigations at the Callawassie Burial Mound (38BU19), Beaufort County, South Carolina. --  Columbia., S.C.: Research Manuscript Series 185. S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina

1984 (co-editor with Jane Buikstra).  -- Human Identification: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology. --  Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, Publisher.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: This collection is comprised of the professional papers of Ted Allan Rathbun,. The collection documents his career as a forensic anthropologist and educator through correspondence, publications and teaching materials. The collection includes the publications resulting from his research in South Carolina, Egypt, and Glorieta, New Mexico, as well as a small portion of his research data. His other writings that can be found in the collection include his monographs, journal articles, papers presented at conferences, and reviews he wrote for various journals and publications. The collection also includes materials relating to his consulting activities for law enforcement agencies, and military and historical organizations. Additionally, the collection contains materials related to organizations that he was a member of and his syllabi and lecture notes as a professor at the University of South Carolina. The collection also includes Rathbun's course notes when, as a student at the University of Kansas, he studied under William Bass, Ellis Kerley and other notable anthropologists. Among his correspondents were J. Lawrence Angel, Eve Cockburn, Henry Dobyns, Henry Field, T. Dale Stewart, and T. Cuyler Young.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Rathbun's South Carolina research materials are at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. His other field research data can be found at the Field Museum in Chicago and the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.

His body was donated to the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee and the Physical Anthropology Collections, National Museum of Natural History.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Biological specimens found within Series 3. Consulting Work, Subseries: Forensic Cases were transferred to Physical Anthropology Collections, National Museum of Natural History. Videos, also from the forensic case files, were transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives.