Richard Deo Daugherty (March 31, 1922 – February 22, 2014) was an American archaeologist and professor, who led the excavation of the Ozette Indian Village Archeological Site in Washington state during the 1970s.
While at WSU, Daugherty led the establishment of a Quaternary research studies option in 1968 and recruited a team of interdisciplinary scholars, including zooarchaeologist Carl "Gus" Gustafson, geologist Roald H. Fryxell, palynologist Peter J. Mehringer, and Frank C. Leonhardy.
"Doc" Daugherty also mentored or served on the committee of numerous students at WSU who became important archaeologists in their own right, including Kenneth Ames, Fumi Arakawa, Corey Breternitz, Mary Collins, Dale Croes, Judith Bense, Amy Gilreath, Leslie E. Wildesen, Janet Friedman, Paul Gleeson, Steve Hackenberger, Bennie Keel, David Kirkpatrick, Ruthann Knudson, Oscar L. Mallory, Anan Raymond, Lee Sappington, Alston Thoms, Gary Wessen, Miranda Warburton, among others.
[13][14] Daugherty also directed the excavation of the Marmes Rockshelter, in which 10,000-year-old human remains were discovered, before the area was submerged by water due to the construction of the Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River in 1969.
[1] In 1966, Daugherty joined with both Washington state U.S. senators, Sen. Henry M. Jackson and Warren Magnuson, to successfully pass the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
[15][14] Many of "Doc's" students went on to have major careers in cultural resource management and public archaeology, including Judith Bense, Leslie E. Wildesen, Janet Friedman, Paul Gleeson, Bennie Keel, Ruthann Knudson, Gary Wessen, to name a few.
[1] While it is common today to consult with local and indigenous communities, Daugherty's manner of working with Makah officials was considered revolutionary at the time.
[1] According to Janine Bowechop, a historic preservation officer for the Makah, "He was so progressive at a time when it was so uncommon...Dr. Daugherty taught people how tribes and scientists can work together.
"[17] Daugherty and Ruth Kirk, a nature writer, co-authored Hunters of the Whale, which explored the early years of the Ozette Indian Village Archeological Site through 1974.
[18][19] Daugherty continued his work in cultural resource management over the next decades through his private consulting firm Western Heritage, publishing numerous professional reports.