Longtime UW anthropology professor Carol Eastman dies at 56
Carol Eastman, a respected anthropology professor, graduate school dean and administrator who served the University of Washington for 27 years with grace and good humor, died Oct. 15, 1997, after a battle with lung cancer. She was 56.
Eastman, who published more than 100 scholarly books and articles in her 30-year academic career, was known as an energetic teacher who devoted herself to her students. Her ability to juggle multiple projects also was renowned, as was her personal charm and humor.
“She was a very larger than life person, tall and thin, with a great sense of humor and the ability to interact with everyone, from university custodians to politicians in the state Legislature,” says Michael Graves, her former UW student and assistant at the University of Hawaii. After a 27-year career at the UW, Eastman accepted an offer in 1994 to become senior vice president and executive vice chancellor of the University of Hawaii Manoa in Honolulu.
After receiving her Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Wisconsin, Eastman began her career at the UW in 1967 as an assistant professor in anthropology. During her UW career, she also served as an adjunct professor in linguistics, women’s studies and music; chair of anthropology; chair of the Faculty Senate; and dean of the Graduate School.
“She was a very good lecturer, very energetic and lively, and had a knack for making heavyduty subjects kind of lighthearted,” says Anthropology Professor David Spain, who came to the UW a year after Eastman. “She often had more confidence in her students than the students had in themselves. She was always urging you to do more, to expect more of yourself”
Born and raised in Boston, Eastman earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts before going on to study linguistics in graduate school. She did field work in Africa, wrote on African culture and spoke and taught Swahili. Eastman also hosted two UW Alumni Association tours, one to Africa and the other a river cruise of the Rhine. In the 1970s, she co-edited a book of classic tales translated from the Southeast Alaska language, Haida.
Remembrances in her name may be sent to Iolani School, 563 Kamoku St., Honolulu, HI 96826.