Obituary

A. Thomas Kirsch, professor of anthropology and Asian studies and a former chair of the Cornell Department of Anthropology, died May 17 at Hospicare of Ithaca after a long battle with cancer. The scholar of religion and society of Southeast Asia was 68.

Kirsch joined the Cornell faculty in 1970 after earning degrees in sociology and anthropology from Syracuse and Harvard universities and teaching at Harvard and at Princeton University.

He was one of a small group of anthropologists in the post-World War II years to establish Southeast Asia as a field for anthropological research. Kirsch was internationally noted for his studies of Theravada Buddhism as practiced in mainland Southeast Asia. His most recent fieldwork, conducted in urban and rural Thailand to examine life-course changes for men, women and children there, was in the spring and summer of 1992.

After that his own life changed, but not as much as some colleagues expected. Recovering from a laryngectomy and mastering the use of a prosthetic larynx, Kirsch returned to full-time teaching with a "new voice."

"Throughout his last few years, he was an inspiration for his courage in overcoming the effects of cancer," said Ted Bestor, acting chair of the anthropology department. "Tom continued teaching and advising students until a few weeks before his death."

Kirsch served in the Army Medical Corps during the Korean conflict. He was named chair of the Cornell Department of Anthropology in 1971 and again in 1988, serving a total of nine and one-half years in that position. He also was acting chair of Cornell's Department of Asian Studies and a Fulbright scholar-consultant in Thailand in 1985-86 and in 1992.

Kirsch is survived by his wife, Yohko Tsuji Kirsch, and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts and cousins.

A memorial service will be announced. Memorial contributions may be made to the Anthropology Endowment Fund, in care of the Department of Anthropology, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853.