Jean Carl Harrington
Archaeology History » Famous archaeologists » Jean Carl Harrington
Millbrook, Michigan
completed a two year pre-engineering program at Albion College while working a series of jobs.He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.He took courses in the architectural school for a year. Harrington completed his bachelor's degree in architectural engineering at the University of Michigan in 1924.
Harrington's background in both architecture and archaeology made him a prime candidate to mediate conflicts that had developed between archaeologists and architects during the National Park Service's excavations at Jamestown, Virginia.Harrington contributed largely to the development and legitimization of historical archaeology as a discipline. In, 1952 Harrington received the Citation for Distinguished Service from the United States Secretary of the Interior, an award usually given to high-ranking government officials or as a posthumous recognition of major contributions.In 1981, the Harringtons created the J.C. Harrington Medal, the Society for Historical Archaeology's award recognizing scholastic contributions to the discipline. Pinky Harrington received the first medal at the society's 1982 annual meeting in Philadelphia, and it has been presented yearly since.
Jean Carl Harrington (October 25, 1901-April 19, 1998) � known as J.C. Harrington, or "Pinky" to his friends � was an American archaeologist best known for his work at Jamestown, Virginia and his contributions to the methodology of historical archaeology. He has been called the "father of historical archaeology in America".Born Jean Carl, Harrington later went by J.C. Harrington or "Pinky." As he said in an autobiography written for his family, "My first name has been a nuisance and annoyance all my life." On Harrington's birth certificate, for example, he was listed as female, which he later corrected. While studying at the University of Chicago, Harrington received the nickname "Pinky" for his red hair and the bright shade of pink he turned when exposed to the sun. He would be known to his friends and colleagues as "Pinky" from graduate school onward.Harrington was born in Millbrook, Michigan. His mother and father were both teachers, though his father later became a school superintendent. This led Harrington's family to relocate to a series of small Michigan towns, including Scottville, Ypsilanti, Vasser, and Albion, during his youth.