04/21/2026
The MSU Campus Archaeology Program (CAP) is saddened to share the passing of our program's founder, Dr. Lynne Goldstein. She has left a lasting mark on our campus, our students, our alumni, our community, our field, and the staff with whom CAP works. Without Dr. Goldstein, our rich campus' archaeological heritage would not be preserved. In the coming months, we will be discussing ways to ensure her legacy is memorialized at MSU.
The Department of Anthropology is saddened to announce that former anthropology department chair Lynne Goldstein passed away yesterday.
Goldstein (PhD Northwestern 1976) moved to MSU from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She served as MSU department chair from fall 1996 through summer 2006 and retired in August 2018. Lynne was founding director of the Campus Archaeology Program (CAP), which was named one of the winners of the 2017 Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation in recognition of people and organizations who have preserved Michigan’s vital historic and cultural resources.
She served as the editor of American Antiquity, the journal published by the Society for American Archaeology, and received numerous awards from that organization, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Lynne was also a 1992 recipient of a President’s Award for Exceptional Service to the Profession by the American Anthropological Association. She is best known for her contributions to mortuary studies, as well as her work in Illinois, Wisconsin and in the Great Lakes region, particularly at the Aztalan site.
The department sends its heartfelt condolences to Lynne’s family and those who knew her best.
