SUSAN KENT, EMINENT SCHOLAR AND PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY
Susan Kent, eminent scholar and professor of sociology at Old Dominion University, died Sunday, April 13, in Milwaukee, Wisc., where she was attending a conference.
Kent joined the Old Dominion faculty in 1986 and was named a full professor in 1996. In 1999 she received the Charles O. and Elisabeth C. Burgess Faculty Research and Creativity Award, and in May 2000 was named an eminent scholar for her long and consistent record of outstanding scholarly publications and her national and international reputation in the field of anthropology. She was on research leave this semester.
An expert in hunters and gatherers, her field research in Botswana earned her a distinctive place in the advancement of science. Kent traveled to the Kalahari Desert for her research and also surveyed and excavated African Stone Age sites during the summers of 1998 and 1999. In addition, she had an interest in gender and health issues, including the role of iron levels in the human body.
Kent published, either as sole author or editor, seven books and numerous articles and reviewed many journals, manuscripts and books.
She is survived by her mother and two brothers.