Bigfoot Who's Who - Dr. Daris Swindler

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Daris Swindler
From squatchopedia.com - All things bigfoot and sasquatch

Daris R. Swindler (13 August 1925 – 6 December 2007) was a professor of anthropology, a forensic anthropologist, and a primate anatomy expert who taught for more than thirty years at the University of Washington. He was one of the world’s foremost authorities on living and fossil primate teeth. His authored texts were considered to be standard references.

Although cited for many years as a skeptic regarding the existence of an undocumented bipedal American ape, Swindler remained open to the possibility and was numbered among the few acknowledged experts willing to examine purported evidence.

Swindler was one of the scientists who assessed the Skookum Cast, collected during a September 2000 BFRO expedition in Skamania County, WA. In his opinion, the cast represented a genuine record of a giant hairy bipedal primate.

External Links
Bigfoot Believers: Legitimate scientific study of legend gains backing of top primate experts (2003)
An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy (1973)
Primate Dentition: An Introduction to the Teeth of Non-human Primates (2002)

The above information was retrieved from squatchopedia.com.



The following is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daris Ray Swindler (August 13, 1925 – December 6, 2007) was an American anthropologist.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Swindler later served in the Navy in World War II, working on tankers in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He went on to study anthropology at West Virginia University and the University of Pennsylvania.[1]

A long-time professor at the University of Washington, he was generally acknowledged as a leading primate expert, having specialized in the study of fossilized teeth; his book An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy is a standard work in the field.[2] According to Stein,[3] Swindler assisted police in many criminal cases, notably the searches for serial killers Gary Ridgway (a.k.a. the Green River Killer) and Ted Bundy.

Though a longtime skeptic of Bigfoot (the giant, bipedal ape-like creature said to live in North America's Pacific Coast), Swindler was one of the few experts willing to examine evidence cited in support of the creature's existence. [4] Accoriding to Stein[5], Swindler's opinion regarding Bigfoot changed after the discover of the so-called Skookum Body Cast (an impression left in a mud pit by a purported Bigfoot): after making a detailed examination of the cast, Swindler concluded that no animal other than a Bigfoot could have left the impression.

References
1.^ Vane, Lauren (December 24, 2007), "Anthropologist Daris Swindler "adored students"", The Seattle Times, <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2004089762_swindlerobit24m.html>
2.^ "Bigfoot Believers: Legitimate scientific study of legend gains backing of top primate experts" by By Theo Stein of the Denver Post, January 05, 2003 URL retrieved 12 June 2007
3.^ Stein, 2003
4.^ "Bigfoot Evidence: Are These Tracks Real?" by Michael R. Dennett, from the Skeptical Inquirer, September 22, 1994; retrieved 12 June 2007
5.^ Stein, 2003

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From the Seattle Times
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2004089762_swindlerobit24m.html

Obituary
Anthropologist Daris Swindler "adored students"
By Lauren Vane
Seattle Times staff reporter

Dr. Daris Swindler traveled the world for his work — conducting archaeological digs in Egypt and Pakistan, traveling to Easter Island to study early settlement patterns of the first inhabitants.

But the former Edmonds resident was just as happy helping a neighbor to identify a shark tooth as he was working on headlining investigations.

Dr. Swindler, a renowned anthropologist and teacher, died Dec. 6 while undergoing cancer treatment in Spokane. He was 82.

A professor at several universities throughout the country, Dr. Swindler dedicated his life to teaching. From 1968 to 1991, he was a professor of physical anthropology at the University of Washington.

He also taught human anatomy at Cornell University Medical College (now known as Weill Medical College of Cornell University) and at the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Swindler was a prolific writer and a leader in researching dental development in primates, said William Morton, former director of the Washington National Primate Research Center at the UW.

Dr. Swindler's family said his ability to influence his students was undoubtedly his greatest achievement.

"He just really adored students," said Dr. Swindler's wife, Kathryn Rantala Swindler.

Up until a week before his death, Dr. Swindler was critiquing papers sent to him from students all over the world, said son Bruce Swindler.

Bruce Swindler remembers sitting in on one of his father's lectures and being amazed at his ability to capture the audience's attention.

"He would just stand up and intrigue everybody in the audience," he said.

Just before his death, a graduate fellowship in Dr. Swindler's name was established in the University of Washington's anthropology department.

Dr. Swindler was born in Morgantown, W.Va., in 1925. He served in the Navy in World War II, working on tankers in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

He went on to study anthropology at West Virginia University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Swindler's professional career took him around the globe. Morton, Dr. Swindler's friend and colleague, recalls accompanying Swindler on an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

Observing Dr. Swindler's team investigating Egypt's historical tombs was a highlight of Morton's career, he said.

Swindler lent his forensic expertise to work on several high-profile murder cases, including helping to identify human remains in the Ted Bundy and the Green River killer investigations.

After retiring from teaching, Dr. Swindler wrote three books on anthropology.

He enjoyed his busy life, said Kathryn Swindler. He loved to fish for salmon off Alki Point in West Seattle and to crab off the Dungeness Spit in Sequim. Dr. Swindler was also a talented swing dancer, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Kathryn Rantala Swindler, of Spokane, Dr. Swindler is survived by his children Gary Swindler of St. Louis, Darece Swindler of Los Angeles, Linda Venters of Spokane, Dana Swindler of Minneapolis, Bruce Swindler of Warden, Grant County, Jeffrey Swindler of Spokane, and Jason Swindler of Arizona; and seven grandchildren. He is also survived by his second wife, Jean Swindler. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Carolyn Swindler.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 26 at Bethel Lutheran Church of Shoreline, 17418 Eighth Ave. N.E., Shoreline.

Remembrances may be made to the Swindler Fund, care of Professor M. Kahn; University of Washington Department of Anthropology; Box 353100; Seattle, WA 98195.

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More about Dr. Daris Swindler from an article by Theo Stein in the Denver Post, which can also be found in the Article section of this board.


"[...]

Daris Swindler, for example, is not the typical Bigfoot believer.

When he retired in 1991 after more than 30 years at the University of Washington, Swindler was an acclaimed expert in the arcane study of fossilized primate teeth.

His book, "An Atlas of Primate Gross Anatomy," went through several printings and was among the standard references in the field.

So it comes as a surprise to some of his peers that Swindler believes that the Skookum Cast, discovered by amateur Bigfoot researchers in 2000, is a genuine record of a hairy giant that sat down by a mudhole to eat some fruit.

"Daris said that?" asked Russell Ciochon, a prominent paleoanthropologist and professor at the University of Iowa. "He's an important figure. But I still don't think Bigfoot exists in any form."

[...]

"There are so many problems," agrees Swindler, who six years ago told a USA Today reporter to count him among the skeptics.

But as he examines the Skookum Cast on a rainy December afternoon in this Seattle suburb, Swindler points out landmarks in the lumpy landscape: a hairy forearm the size of a small ham, an enormous hairy thigh, an outsized buttock, and a striking impression he feels confident was made by the Achilles tendon and heel of a creature that is not supposed to exist.

"Whatever made this was very well adapted to walking on two feet," he said. "It's not conclusive, but it's consistent with what you'd expect to see if a giant biped sat down in the mud."

Swindler hopes that his assessment of the Skookum Cast, and a Discovery Channel documentary set to air Thursday, will generate support for further research.

[...]

Meldrum and Swindler concur there are only two logical explanations for the cast: Bigfoot and elk. And they have also ruled out elk.

[...]"