On the morning of December 1st, I received an e-mail from Michael Bisson with whom I had just this summer finished editing the festschrift for Bruce, entitled The Archaeology of Bruce Trigger: Theoretical Empiricism published by McGill-Queens University Press. The title on the e-mail was "Hung be the Heavens with Black", the beginning of a passage from Shakespeare's Henry the Sixth, lamenting the death of King Henry the Fifth. I knew instantly what had occurred.
Bruce had been ill since last fall with a particular aggressive form of cancer. When he died he left unfinished a multi-chapter volume on the problems with the "right" in Canada from the perspective of an anthropologist, a few chapters of which he had completed. He also left incomplete a planned new text on the history and archaeology of Egypt. He had managed, however, to celebrate the publication of the second edition of A History of Archaeological Thought in the late summer, the galleys of which he had worked on in the hospital and at home last winter while undergoing treatment. When first informed of the diagnosis of his illness and the rather dire prognosis, Bruce's immediate reaction was to set about ensuring the successful publication of that volume while also contributing in a number of ways to the final editing of the festschrift, all at the same time as translating some Middle Egyptian texts! It was that determination perhaps that bought him months more time than might be expected under the circumstances. Two days before his death he was reading a two volume treatment of Chinese archaeology. His was a remarkable mind put to superb use. He recently commented that his career was about resolving some of the mysteries of the ancient world, a career objective to which few would even admit to aspire, let alone achieve.
But for those of us who knew him he was far more than a world-class scholar. He was warm, caring, and a thoroughly honourable person. He looked for the value in the work of every person he encountered and countenanced the same in his students. His unease with the political inequality represented in much of the archaeology of the twentieth century is legendary as is his willingness to actually protest with his feet in support of redressing such wrongs. During his eulogy, given by Bisson, the audience was reminded that of all his honours, including the Order of Canada, conferred on Bruce last year in hospital, the one he valued the most was his honourary membership in the Great Turtle Clan of the Wendat Confederacy. It was recognition of his achievement of having given voice to the people whose history we study, a lifelong goal of his.
We will all miss Bruce, not just because he was a great scholar of the Ontario archaeological record but because he was simply a great man deserving of the heavens being hung with black.
Ron Williamson, PhD, McGill University
Toronto