William Y. Adams Papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- William Y. Adams Papers
- Date
- 1935-2018, undated (inclusive)
- 1955-2010, undated (bulk)
- Creator
- Adams, William Y. (William Yewdale), 1927-2019
- Extent
- 5.1 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Anthropology -- Study and teaching
- Archaeologists
- Archaeologists -- Correspondence
- Archaeologists -- Egypt
- Archaeology -- Study and teaching
- College teachers -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
- Excavations (Archaeology)
- Excavations (Archaeology) -- Nubia
- Families -- Photographs.
- Photograph albums.
- Photographs
- Sound recordings
- Ibrīm (Egypt)
- Adams, William Y. (William Yewdale), 1927-2019
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format into seven series as arranged by the creator: Biographical Information, Teaching Material, Student Writing, Writings and Speeches, Qasr Ibrim, Correspondence/Department of Anthropology, and Family Recollections and Photograhs.
- Preferred Citation
- 2024ua017 : [identification of item], William Y. Adams Papers, 1935-2018, undated, bulk 1955-2010, undated, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- William "Bill" Yewdale Adams (1927-2019), anthropologist and archaeologist and faculty member at the University of Kentucky, was born on August 6, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were William Forbes Adams (1898-1935) and Lucy Mary (Wilcox) Adams (1898-1996) and he had one brother, Ernest Wilcox Adams (1926-2009). His father, a history professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, died in 1935. Afer his death, the family moved to Window Rock, Arizona, when Lucy Adams found a position with the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Navajo Reservation (now the Navajo Nation). Experiencing Navajo culture sparked Adams' interest in anthropology. Adams studied at Stanford University from 1943-1945, left for a year in the US Navy, then entered the University of California, Berekely, in 1946 to finish his undergraduate degree in anthropology in 1948. During World War II, his mother worked at the Manzanar, California, internment camp for Japanese-Americans, managing education and social welfare. Adams continued at the University of California for two years of graduate study, then dropped out of school, during which time he worked as an Indian trader on the Navajor Reservation. In 1954, he enrolled in the University of Arizona and earned his Ph.D. in anthropology in 1958. In 1955, Adams met and married another anthropologist, Nettie Alice Kesseler (1934-2024), from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was completing her undergraduate degree at the University.
- From 1955-1957, the Adams family ran the trading post and lived in a hogan at Shonto, Arizona, while Bill and Nettie also conducted fieldwork. This resulted in Bill's dissertation, Shonto: A Study of the Role of the Trader in a Modern Navajo Community. In 1963, it was published as "Ethnology Bulletin 188" by the Smithsonian Institution. Between 1957 and 1959, Bill servied as Chief Archaeologist for the Glen Canyon Archaeological Salvage Project for the Museum of Northern Arizona. Bill and Nettie scouted sites requiring excavation along the San Juan and Colorado Rivers in advance of the Glen Canyon dam.
- As a result of this experience, in 1959, Bill was appointed Director of Excavations for the Sudan Government Antiquities Service and as Liaison Officer for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of--and in advance of--salvage operations in the Nile Valley prior to the Aswan High Dam. Bill conducted aerial photography, scouted and excavated over 40 sites, oversaw excavations at more than 100 others, "coodinated the activities of the [14] foreign missions that took part in the salvage campaign, and established most of their concession boundaries....It is he who developed the basic strategy and plan of [salvage operations] in Sudanese Nubia, created the master file and map of the sites reported by all the expeditions..., and devised the system of site numbering and recording now employed throughout Sudan" (Sudan Archaeological Research Society, 2004). Bill also "devised a typology for Nubian pottery still used today to date archaeological discoveries" in ancient Nubia, today southern Egypt and northern Sudan (Anthropology News, 2021). The family lived in various places in Sudan, particularly Khartoum and Wadi Halfa. They had two sons, Ernest Adams (1960- ) and Edward Adams (1962- ).
- The family decided that their children should be raised in the United States; thus, in 1966, they moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where Bill took a position as Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky (UK). He played a major role in developing the anthropology doctoral program, which was approved in 1968. He was promoted to full professor in 1971 and served as chair of the department from 1974-1978 and 1984-1986. He was an active and passionate teacher. In 1969 and 1979, he led a University of Kentucky archaological expedition at Kulubnarti at the head of Lake Nubia, in the Sudan. From 1972-1984, Bill and Nettie conducted excavations and fieldwork in partnership between the University of Kentucky and the Egypt Exploration Society at the ancient Lower Nubian town site Qasr Ibrim. Bill served as Archaeologist (1972-1984) and Field Director (1978-1982). Nettie was employed as Associate Curator at the University of Kentucky Webb Museum of Anthropology (1983-2001?) and served as Camp Manager (1976-1980) and Textile Analyst (1976-1988) for the Qasr Ibrim excavations. Bill retired from the University in July 1992. He founded the William Y. Adams Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student.
- During his scholarly career, Bill published over 200 articles and book chapters and 26 books with his own illustrations, including Nubia: Corridor to Africa (1977); Ceramic Industries of Medieval Nubia (1986); Archaeological Typology and Practical Reality (with brother, University of California, Berkeley, philosopher Ernest W. Adams, 1991); The Philosophical Roots of Anthropology (1998); and Religion and Adaptation: An Ethno-logical Perspective (2004). The excavations at Qasr Ibrim were the subject of a 1981 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary, Discoveries. Nettie published more than 20 articles and book chapters. Bill and Nettie traveled to Beijing, China, for teaching and study in 1989.
- Bill earned many awards and honors, including a 1962 Guggenheim Fellowship; the 1978 Melville J. Herskovits Prize for his Nubia: Corridor to Africa; a Scholarly Achievement Award, Sudan Studies Association (1990); the Fritz Hintze Memorial Lecture, Berlin (1998); a Distinguished Contributions Award, Sudan Studies Association (1999); a Museum of Northern Arizona Distinguished Alumnus Award (1999); and the Sir Laurence Kirwan Memorial Lecture, London (2000). At the University of Kentucky he was awarded a Research Professorship (1979-1980); the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Award (1979-1980); the Department of Anthropology Outstanding Teacher Award (1995); and was first faculty member inducted into the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (2009). In 2006, he was awarded the country of Sudan's highest civilian honor, the Order of the Two Niles, Class II: Grand Officer. He was a founding member of the International Society for Nubian Studies, an Honorary Life Member of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society (Great Britain), and a Life Member of the Sudan Studies Association (United States).
- Sources: 1. "William Y. Adams, 1927-2019," Anthropology News, August 6, 2021. https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/william-y-adams/. Accessed 8/6/2024.
- 2. "Professor William Y. Adams, Honorary President, 1997-2019," The Sudan Archaeological Research Society, 2024. https://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/about/professor-william-y-adams/ . Accessed 8/6/2024.
- 3. "Dean Mark Kornbluh Blog: Honoring Dr. William Y. Adams," College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology, 2019. https://anthropology.as.uky.edu/dean-mark-kornbluh-blog-honoring-dr-william-y-adams. Accessed 8/6/2024.
- 4. "Order of the Two Niles," Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Two_Niles. Accessed 8/6/2024.
- 5. 2024ua027: "Biographical Sketch" and "Curriculum Vitae," William Y. Adams Papers, 1935-2018, undated, bulk 1955-2010, undated, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Scope and Content
- The William Y. Adams Papers (dated 1935-2018, undated, bulk 1955-2010, undated; 5.1 cubic feet; 4 record storage cartons, 1 document box, and 2 flat boxes) primarily comprise typescript writings, presentations, and lectures by University of Kentucky (UK) anthropologist and archaeologist William Y. Adams and reports, correspondence, and data from and about his research at the archaeological site Qasr Ibrim in modern day Egypt. Also includes letters of appreciation; lists of book donations and library books; syllabi, lecture notes, and audio recordings for anthropology courses he taught at UK; undergraduate and graduate student writing; biographical statements and his curriculum vitae; a review of the Department of Anthropology (2004); Adams family and archaeological excavation site photographs; and recollections and reports of their university teaching trip (Adams' sabbatical) to Beijing, China, in 1989, during the Tiananmen Square protests. Most collection material was arranged and filed by Adams.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Biographical Information, 1962-2018, undated
- Box 2024ua027-01
- Box 5
Scope and Contents
Primarily comprises letters of appreciation and nomination letters, 1979-2018. Also includes lists of books donated to the School for Advanced Research and the Navajo National Library, as well as flyers and announcements for lectures by Adams. Except for the folders in box 5, material was arranged in this grouping and filed in this order by Adams. Folders in box 5 include the award letter for the Guggenheim Fellowship (1962); a report on the 2004 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant; a report on Adams' sabbatical in China, 1989; Sudan newspaper coverage in Arabic of the Order of the Two Niles award, 2006; and lists of Bill and Nettie Adams' library books and value, undated.
Teaching Material, 1966-1999, undated
- Box 2024ua027-01
- Box 2024ua027-04
- Box 6
Scope and Contents
Primarily comprises syllabi, course outlines, assigned readings, and lecture notes for undergraduate anthropology introductory courses and graduate student anthropology and archaeology seminars given or organized by William Y. Adams at the University of Kentucky Department of Athropology. Also includes a list of all courses taught by Adams from 1966-1992 (in box 2024ua027-04); a notebook of "Khazckhstan lectures" and "Almati State lectures" and three reel-to-reel recordings of eight lectures by Adams for ANT 512, Comparative Civilizations (in box 6). Except for boxes 2024ua027-04 and 6, material was arranged in this grouping and filed in this order by Adams.
Student Writing, 1949-1955, undated
- Box 2024ua027-01
Scope and Contents
Comprises typescripts of papers written by Adams as an anthropology undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkely, and as a graduate anthropology student at the University of Arizona. One notebook, "Scientific Typologies," includes work by wife Nettie Adams. Material was arranged in this grouping and filed in this order by Adams.
Writings and Speeches, 1962-2010, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises folders of typescript drafts, final copies, conference presentation abstracts, or lecture notes for books, book chapters, articles, conference presentations, and visting and invited lectures. In many cases, folders in this series also include correspondence. Conference material was selected by the archivist to include only those folders that contained writings or abstracts by Adams. The "Checklists" subgrouping includes biographical sketches and curriculum vitae for Bill and Nettie Adams, as well as headshots of Bill (in the biograhpical sketches). The "Lectures" subgrouping contains folders of "Nubia Lectures" (1986-2010) and "Qasr Ibrim Lectures" (1978-1981). Except for the "General" category, material was arranged in this grouping and subgroupings and filed in this order by Adams. Original filing tabs and folders were retained.
Checklists, undated
Articles in Prospect, undated
Chapters in Press, 1978-1984
Articles in Press, 1988-2003, undated
Reviews in Press [empty]
Letters and Comments in Press, 1999, undated
Manuscripts not Submitted, 1974-2008, undated
Collaboration, undated
Conferences [selected], 1979-2009, undated
Conference Papers, 1977-2006, undated
Lectures, 1969-2010, undated
Books in Prospect, 1980
Books in Preparation [empty]
Books in Print, 1991-2011, undated
General, 1962-1980, undated
- Box 2024ua027-04
Scope and Contents
The General Subseries includes "A Day in the Life of an Archaeologist in Sudanese Nubia," (1962) in French and English; "Living and Working Conditions for Archaeologists in Sudanese Nubia" (undated); the original version (with original drawings and photographs) of "Pottery Wares of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods at Qasr Ibrim: Preliminary ware descriptions" field manual, approximately 1980; and a numbered set (1-28, not consecutive) of Adams' writings, mostly typescript (undated).
Qasr Ibrim Reports, Correspondence, and Data, 1972-1993, undated
- Box 2024ua027-03
- Box 2024ua027-04
- Box 6
- Box 7
Scope and Contents
Comprises funding proposals, reports, correspondence, and drawings of pottery details for a partnership between the University of Kentucky and the Egypt Exploration Society to conduct archaeological excavation and research at archaeological site Qasr Ibrim in Lower Nubia in the modern country of Egypt. Work began in 1972 and continued approximately every two years through 1988. Series also includes registries and drawings of objects and correspondence about objects, languages, findings, and results. Material was arranged in this grouping and filed in this order by Adams. Original folders were retained.
Correspondence and Department of Anthropology, 1987-2007, undated
- Box 5
Scope and Contents
Comprises professional correspondence with various archaeological colleagues (1987-2007, undated) and the report of the review of the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology, 2004.
Family Recollections and Photographs, 1930s-2005
- Box 5
Photocopies of photographs of the Adams family on the Navajo Nation reservation, on various excavation sites, and at other residences, 1955-1970s?
- Box 5
Scope and Contents
Most photocopies have descriptions on the reverse side. Also included are handwritten notes by archivist from comments by Ernest Adams. Removed by archivist from an otherwise empty photograph album.
Selected Adams family photographs on the Navajo Nation reservation, of Manzanar Internment Camp, various excavation sites, and the Order of the Two Niles award, 1930s-2005
Recollections of trip to Beijing, China, by Bill and Nettie Adams, 1989 March-July
Photograph album, China trip (red velour cover with gold characters on front), 1989
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
- Abstract
- Descriptive Summary
- Collection Overview
- Preferred Citation
- Restrictions on Access and Use
- Contents of the Collection
- Biographical Information, 1962-2018, undated
- Teaching Material, 1966-1999, undated
- Student Writing, 1949-1955, undated
- Writings and Speeches, 1962-2010, undated
- Qasr Ibrim Reports, Correspondence, and Data, 1972-1993, undated
- Correspondence and Department of Anthropology, 1987-2007, undated
- Family Recollections and Photographs, 1930s-2005
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
