News & Events
It’s evident that many people see the value in archaeology at Washington and Lee and want to invest in it.
- Alison Bell ’91, professor of anthropology
Professor of anthropology emeritus John McDaniel ’64 and his wife, Nell, have made a significant impact on generations of Washington and Lee students who have benefited from the A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation, created by the McDaniels and the parents of the late Paul Knight ’85.
McDaniel first met Knight during a lunch break on an archaeological dig on W&L’s campus, and the two men bonded over a mutual interest in fly-fishing. During the summers of 1983 through 1985, Knight visited the McDaniel family at their summer home on Henry’s Fork of Idaho’s Snake River, a premier fly-fishing spot. Then, in June 1985, Knight went missing during a backpacking trip at Yellowstone National Park. Two days later, rangers discovered the 22-year-old had suffered a fatal fall. To honor Knight’s memory, his parents and the McDaniels created the Knight Internship Program.
The program placed its first intern in 1988, and in the past 36 years, more than 135 W&L students have landed summer internships in environmental protection and conservation organizations in Eastern Idaho, and many have gone on to work in those fields. And now, thanks to the efforts of many of McDaniel’s former students, the McDaniel name will also have a far-reaching impact on W&L students interested in doing fieldwork in archaeology and anthropology.
The John and Nell McDaniel Endowment received an outpouring of support this year, thanks to the efforts of Parker B. Potter Jr. ’79, a former student of McDaniel’s who spearheaded fundraising efforts after attending a celebration of the archaeology program’s 50th anniversary on campus in spring 2024.
In coordination with the Office of Alumni Engagement, the Sociology and Anthropology Department invited current students and alumni back to campus last April to reflect on their experiences and interests in archaeology while honoring the foundational efforts of the McDaniels and their research teams. Former students and athletes who knew McDaniel as an assistant coach for the W&L men’s lacrosse team also returned to campus to express their appreciation for the McDaniels’ contributions. Alison Bell ’91, professor of anthropology, says it was clear the weekend reminded many in attendance of the McDaniels’ impact on their lives.
“It’s evident that many people see the value in archaeology at Washington and Lee and want to invest in it,” Bell says.
That investment has been to the tune of a 400% increase in the McDaniel endowment since April, fueled by Potter’s outreach to alumni, donations from W&L’s lacrosse alumni network and responses from all corners of the W&L community, including a $25,000 anonymous matching gift. Bell says the funds will support the work and teaching of archaeological and anthropological researchers within the department, particularly by providing funding for technological upgrades.
“The state of the field today is technology-based archaeology — everything from ground-penetrating radar to photogrammetry and X-ray fluorescence,” says Bell. “One of the main things this endowment helps us do is build that suite of technological specialties here on campus. Students will be able to learn technologies that are in demand in terms of employment opportunities.” She adds that the endowment will also help expand fieldwork and conference opportunities for archaeology students.
The McDaniels have sparked opportunities for archaeological and anthropological research since early in their time at W&L. McDaniel credits his wife with encouraging him to establish the James G. Leyburn Scholars Program in Anthropology. Since 1979, the program has provided stipends to more than 150 students, allowing them to author or co-author articles in anthropology, present papers at anthropological meetings and participate in fieldwork in archaeology, anthropology and cultural resource management projects. The newly named John and Nell McDaniel Endowment, formerly the John M. McDaniel Fund, is a permanently endowed fund established in 2014 by classmates, friends and alumni.
Jon Eastwood, professor of sociology and chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, says the support for the John and Nell McDaniel Endowment has set students up for future success.
“We’re so grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support that recognizes what John, Nell and others built and helps ensure that top-notch archaeological work will continue at W&L in the years to come,” Eastwood says.