Howard M. Hecker (1935-2002): An Appreciation

Abstract

Hecker was a remarkable individual. Whenever I have talked to friends and colleagues about what might be included in this appreciation everyone has had the same reaction: shock and sadness at Howard's passing followed by a smile at recollections of time spent with him (inevitably followed by their favorite Howard story). He was one of those people whose larger-than-life personality and great personal kindness touched everyone. His background was as unusual as his scholarship was broad. was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935, and never lost his distinctive Brooklyn humor or the love of baseball that stemmed from those days. He was a raconteur without equal and all those who worked with him at Tell el-Amarna (and no doubt every other project he was involved with) will well remember his fund of stories about his Brooklyn upbringing. He originally trained as a motor mechanic, and was presumably a rather gifted one. When the expedition bought its first four-wheel drive vehicle it was who helped check it over, and who identified the various vehicles from which it had been compiled. It was typical of him that he was not too proud to go back to his roots if he could help his colleagues by so doing. In the 1950s he went to Israel, where he remained for several years. During this time he became interested in archaeology and decided to pursue it on his return to the U.S.A. in 1962. This was a major departure from his original career and involved him studying at Hunter College, New York, at night. It is typical of that he never talked about just how hard he had had to work in order to achieve his archaeological qualifications. In 1966 he obtained his B.A. and in 1975 his Ph.D. from Columbia University with a thesis entitled The Faunal Analysis of the Primary Food Animals from PrePottery Neolithic Beidha (Jordan). l It was natural that his main interests were in the Middle East and he came to specialize in archaeozoology. It was in that capacity that I first met him, during his work as achaeozoologist for the Egypt Exploration Society expedition to Tell el-Amarna, which he joined in 1982. Here he was a popular figure, enormously helpful to those of us who were just beginning our careers and always ready to help in any social activity planned by the team. No one will forget his increasingly elaborate tea-ceremonies or his birthday surprises! His great sense of humor and his scholarly modesty sometimes masked the important work that he was involved with, and only when one starts to look at what we now know of stock-keeping in Egypt does it become apparent just how significant Howard's contribution was.