Jett, Stephen C.

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In Memory of Richard P. Palmieri, 1945-1997

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Himalaya, the Journal of theAssociation for Nepal andHimalayan StudiesVolume 17Number 2 Himalayan Research Bulletin: Solukhumbuand the SherpaArticle 81997In Memory of Richard P. Palmieri, 1945-1997Stephen C. JettFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalayaThis Other is brought to you for free and open access by theDigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@MacalesterCollege. It has been accepted for inclusion in Himalaya, the Journal of theAssociation for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorizedadministrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For moreinformation, please contact scholarpub@macalester.edu.Recommended CitationJett, Stephen C. (1997) "In Memory of Richard P. Palmieri, 1945-1997," Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal andHimalayan Studies: Vol. 17: No. 2, Article 8.Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol17/iss2/8In l\1ernory of Richard P. Palmieri, 1945-1997Hence, at the foot of truth, the undying questsprings like a shoot, and doubt is still the lurethat speeds us toward the height from crest to crest.Cultural geographer Richard Pietro Palmieri died of cancer last November 18, at age 52. He wasprofessor emeritus of geography at Mary Washington College in Virginia, where he had also beenimportantly involved with historic preservation and served as Curator of Furniture. A dedicated and highlypopUlar teacher there since 1977, his combination of scholarly mind and exuberant style led to his receipt ofthe Mortar Board Outstanding Professor Award.South and Inner Asia, especially the cultural ecology of their domesticated animals, were Palmieri'sspecialties. After he graduated from the State College (now University of Massachusetts) at Boston, in hishome town, he undertook an MA under Frederick J. Simoons at the University of Texas; his thesis was"'The Yak in Tibet and Adjoining Areas." Following Simoons to the University of California, Davis,Palmieri received his Ph.D. in 1976 on the basis of a dissertation entitled "'Domestication and Exploitationuf Livestock in the Nepal Himalaya and Tibet."' In Nepal in 1972-73, with National Geographic Societyand American Institute of Indian Studies support, he accomplished arduous fieldwork among the Sherpa inisolated areas, where, toward the end, his wife Nancy contracted amebic dysentery, necessitating evacuation.To inventory Dick Palmieri's professional interests and activities alone is to miss much of the essenceof the man. His was an unusually vital personality: a sense of his speech and his humor can be gained bylistening to the "'Tappet Brothers"' on National Public Radio's Car Talk. Compassion and principle wereamung his sterling qualities. He was always ready to advise and assist other scholars and was a devotedfamily IlIan and a good friend and mentor to many.A list of Palmieri's publications related to the Himalayan region follows.1972. The DOlllestication, Exploitation. and Social Functions of the Yak in Tibet und AdjoiningAreas. Proceedings of the Association of American Geographers 4: 80-83.1974. Culture and Ecology of Tibetans in the Greater Nepal Himalayas. TheConference on Nepal at Claremont. Claremont, Ca.1975. (with Allen G. Noble). Some Notes on Himalayan Mapping. Journal of Asian Studies34: 795-97.1979. Commentary on Frederick J. Simoons' "Questions in the Sacred Cow Controversy."' CurrentAnthropology 20: 485-86.1980. Results of Field Investigations in the Nepal Himalaya. National Geographic SocietyResearch Reports 12: 529-34.1982. Patterns of Indian Pastoralism. India: Cultural Patterns and Processes, ed. Allen G.Nohle and Ashok K. Dutt, pp. 325-36. Boulder: Westview Press.1987. Cattle Hybrids among the Sherpa of Nepal. Journal of Cultural Geography 7: 89-100.1991. Tibetan Xylography and the Question of Moveable Type. Technology and Culture 32:i.p. The Yak. In The Cambridge History and Culture of Food and Nutrition, ed.Kenneth F. Kiple. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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In Memory of Richard P. Palmieri, 1945-1997

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