Archeologist and longtime community member Dr. Claudine Payne, who ran Blytheville's University of Arkansas Archeological Survey site for the past 15 years, passed away Friday after a brief and intense battle with ovarian cancer.
Payne's family said her illness was discovered in August, at which point she moved to South Carolina to receive treatment near family, and passed away at her brother's home.
Raised in a military family and educated across the world, Payne's love of history and eventual specialization in American Indian research led her to accept the position at the helm of the Blytheville archeological dig. She was also involved with the Delta Gateway Museum and Blytheville's Master Gardeners.
Dr. George Sabo, director of the University's Archeological Survey program, said the loss of Dr. Payne will affect the future of the Blytheville survey site, but that it is premature to say at this point what that affect will be.
"I have made contact with the mayor's office," he said, "requesting a time when he and I might get together with other city officials to discuss the future of the station from the city's perspective. Dr. Payne had a very engaged set of activities with the city. She was involved with the museum and had an interesting research program going on at the site. It's not my initial plan to close the station down, but it's still premature to say what the plans are. We want to get information from local people to help us with a search to presumably replace Dr. Payne with another archeologist."
For those wishing to honor the memory of Dr. Payne, her family has requested that donations be made to the Blytheville Humane Society.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com