Obituary of George Wasson PhD

George Wasson was born in Coquille, Oregon, at Belle Knife Hospital on January 14, 1935, to George and Bess (Finley) Wasson. He attended Valley View School in Coquille and Gold Beach Union High School in Gold Beach, graduating from McMinnville High School in 1953.After the death of his father in 1947, George's mother married Paul Hockema of Pistol River, Oregon, and the family moved to Sundown Ranch in the “Wilds of Curry County.” The area was beautiful, primitive, and pristine, and George fell in love with all of it.George lived his life with enthusiasm, curiosity, and playfulness. A lifelong learner and teacher, he loved to share his wisdom of how things came to be and the right way to do things, from gathering willow and baking salmon, to mountaineering and skiing, to researching, writing, and telling stories.By the time he graduated from high school, George possessed skills in homesteading, ranching, timber management, fishing, hunting, and gathering. During his tour in Germany with the U.S. Army, George learned to speak German and sang in the Army band. Upon his return, he worked for South Coast Lumber and the U.S. Forest Service.When George entered the University of Oregon School of Music, he was already an accomplished musician and singer. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1969. In 1971, he earned a master’s degree in counseling and began a 20-year career as Assistant Dean of Students and Academic Advisor at the UO.Inspired by his older brother, Dr. Wilfred C. Wasson, and the memory of his parents, George returned to the UO as a graduate student in anthropology, earning a master’s degree and doctorate. During his studies, he recorded the stories and wrote dozens of articles on the Pacific Northwest and Coastal Indians, culminating in his dissertation, “Growing Up Indian: An Emic (Inside) Perspective.” He was instrumental in forming the Southwest Oregon Research Project (SWORP), a team of students and researchers, many of whom were tribal members, who gathered volumes of historical data from the archives of the Smithsonian Institute and Library of Congress, documents largely overlooked since the earliest days of South Coast Indian contact with Euro-Americans. The collection, now housed at the UO Library, continues to provide priceless information and revelations for research and publication.George shared his knowledge with people of his own native bloodlines—Milluk/Coos, Coquelle, and Cherokee—as well as students, academics, and other tribes across the nation. He continued to lecture and tell stories right up to the day of his tragic and untimely death on March 19, 2014.George was preceded in death by his parents, older brother Wilfred, sister and brother-in-law Susan and Don Walgamott, their son Donald Dean Walgamott, and his stepfather Paul Hockema. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Bette and Earl Hockema of Pistol River and his brother and sister-in-law John and Ninnian Wasson of Grand Junction, Colorado. George had 11 nieces and nephews, 7 grandnieces and grandnephews, and many cousins.George made lasting friends throughout his life. He enriched and inspired hundreds of students, colleagues, and friends, sharing freely his friendship, knowledge, and resources. All those who were fortunate enough to know George were enriched beyond measure. He will be dearly missed by the extraordinary number of people he touched and loved throughout his life.Plans are underway for celebrations of George’s life in Eugene, Pistol River, and Coos Bay. Memorial contributions can be made to the Many Nations Longhouse, University of Oregon, 1630 Columbia St., Eugene, Oregon 97403.Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com