Alfred K. Guthe joined the faculty of the university in 1961. He served as head of the Anthropology Department and was named the first director of the Frank H. McClung Museum. Anthropology and the museum were separated in 1971. Guthe remained director of the museum until 1978, when he returned to full-time teaching in the Anthropology Department. He received the bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. His major area of interest was North American archaeology, with particular emphasis on Southwestern Indian culture. He was in charge of TVA-funded contracts for the archaeological excavations of the Tellico Reservoir area, published many scholarly articles, and edited a number of books. Immediately before coming to UT, he was curator of anthropology at Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences.