Emeritus Professor of Anthropology Dennison Nash Dies
Nash was a pioneer in the study of the anthropology of tourism.
The late Dennison Nash, professor emeritus of anthropology. (Dan Buttrey/UConn Photo)
Dennison J. Nash of Mansfield Center, Conn., died after a brief illness on March 20. He was 87.
Nash was born on July 2, 1924 in East Orange, N.J., the only child of Ray and Marie Nash. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II in Europe. Following his military service, he earned a BA at St. Lawrence University, an MA from Washington University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1957, he joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut in what was then the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, and he retired in 1991 as a professor emeritus.
Nash was a prolific writer with numerous publications, and was a pioneer in the study of the anthropology of tourism. He wrote what is considered the most important book in that field, The Anthropology of Tourism, in 1996. His most recent book, which he edited in 2007, was The Study of Tourism: Anthropology and Sociological Beginnings. He was a fellow of The Camargo Foundation in France, dedicated to scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, and The MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, the oldest artists’ colony in the U.S.
Well before and after retirement Nash was involved in a number of non-profit organizations on a global, national, and local level. He was a great wine connoisseur and a leader in a local “wine group,” and he loved to garden. He was a founder and longtime supporter of UConn’s EcoGarden. Nash has no surviving family members, but he has many colleagues and friends throughout the country and in the Mansfield community.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Dennison Nash Graduate Fellowship in Sociocultural Anthropology Fund. Gifts should be payable to the UConn Foundation Inc., 2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut 06269.
A memorial service will be held in the near future and a notice will be published before the date. Those interested in further notification or information should contact Samuel L. Schrager at s.schrager@schragerlaw.com.
Dennison J. Nash of Mansfield Center, Conn., died after a brief illness on March 20. He was 87.
Nash was born on July 2, 1924 in East Orange, N.J., the only child of Ray and Marie Nash. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II in Europe. Following his military service, he earned a BA at St. Lawrence University, an MA from Washington University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1957, he joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut in what was then the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, and he retired in 1991 as a professor emeritus.
Nash was a prolific writer with numerous publications, and was a pioneer in the study of the anthropology of tourism. He wrote what is considered the most important book in that field, The Anthropology of Tourism, in 1996. His most recent book, which he edited in 2007, was The Study of Tourism: Anthropology and Sociological Beginnings. He was a fellow of The Camargo Foundation in France, dedicated to scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, and The MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, the oldest artists’ colony in the U.S.
Well before and after retirement Nash was involved in a number of non-profit organizations on a global, national, and local level. He was a great wine connoisseur and a leader in a local “wine group,” and he loved to garden. Nash has no surviving family members, but he has many colleagues and friends throughout the country and in the Mansfield community.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Dennison Nash Graduate Fellowship in Sociocultural Anthropology Fund. Gifts should be payable to the UConn Foundation Inc., 2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut 06269.
A memorial service will be held in the near future and a notice will be published before the date. Those interested in further notification or information should contact Samuel L. Schrager at s.schrager@schragerlaw.com.
