Donald F. Tuzin, revered anthropology professor and former campus Academic Senate chair, died April 15 at Thornton Hospital from pulmonary hypertension. Tuzin, 62, was known to colleagues as a dedicated scholar, campus leader and impassioned educator, and leaves behind a UCSD legacy spanning 34 years.

Tuzin, a social anthropologist who specialized in Melanesian studies, began teaching in the anthropology department in 1973. While he taught, Tuzin wrote four books and numerous journal articles centered on the peoples of New Guinea. He also co-founded the UCSD Melanesian Archive, the world’s leading collection of unpublished works and materials about the culture and its history.

Kathryn Creely, a Melanesian studies librarian and longtime collaborator with Tuzin, said that the archive would not exist today were it not for his tireless effort and support of the project.

“”He was our champion,”” she said. “”He was very actively involved and had a lot of professional relationships all over the world. He was really generous with his time and his ideas.””

Fellow anthropology professor and longtime friend Joel Robbins said that Tuzin’s professional successes were due to a combination of his intelligence and strong people skills.

“”He had great intellectual seriousness, but was also a very human person,”” Robbins said. “”He was able to scale the heights of intelligent thought but also connect in very human ways with the people around him.””

Apart from his work on the archive, Tuzin also served UCSD as a campus administrator, acting as associate chancellor from 1990-93 under former UC President and then-Chancellor Richard C. Atkinson. He went on to chair the campus’ Academic Senate from 2004-05, where he is remembered as a steadfast advocate of the university’s shared-governance program. Tuzin was also involved with the University House Task Force and served on the board of directors for the UCSD Faculty Club and the Friends of the Libraries.

“”He was very much sought-after for his leadership qualities,”” Robbins said. “”They made him a very popular person on campus.””

Margaret J. Schoeninger, anthropology professor and department chair, said that Tuzin was the “”recognized leader”” of the department because he had received the rank of distinguished professor, the highest within the university.

Though Tuzin juggled multiple responsibilities during his career, his students said he always expressed a strong desire to connect with them and take an active role in their education.

Eleanor Roosevelt College sophomore Meggie Danielson described a faculty and student social event put on by the Making of the Modern World program last year, where Tuzin remained long past the end of the gathering in order to socialize with students from his classes.

“”He stayed afterward and talked to a couple of students for a long time,”” Danielson said. “”He just generally cared about us.””

Creely and Robbins both said that Tuzin’s amiable nature and sense of humor were defining features that endeared him to others.

“”He was really an extraordinary person,”” Robbins said. “”He was somebody who really enjoyed people’s company and people enjoyed his company in return.””

He added that, despite all the pressures Tuzin was under, his passion for making the campus a better place was unwavering.

“”Don loved UCSD,”” Robbins said. “”He said all the time that he thought this was the most exciting university in the world. He would tell anybody who would listen how he felt. It’s those kind of people that make this place hum.””

 Tuzin expressed his own personal outlook on education in a university interview conducted shortly after completing his term as chair.

“”Even with all our follies, ideals are expressed here and live here as they do nowhere else in society, and that’s the glory of the university environment,”” Tuzin said. “”I have decided that academics are the noblest of all species in the genus Homo.””

Tuzin is survived by his wife, Beverly Jay Tuzin, and sons Gregory and Alexander. The memorial service was held April 21 at El Camino Memorial Park, and his family will hold a private ceremony to spread his ashes at a future date.

The anthropology department held an informal remembrance for Tuzin on April 20, where colleagues and friends shared their thoughts on the legacy he will leave behind.

“”As distinguished professor, he led with unparalleled grace, humor and breadth of knowledge,”” Schoeninger said in a statement. “”As a mentor to students, colleagues and to me as department chair, Don was unsurpassed. This loss will be felt within anthropology, across UCSD and across the university for many years to come.””