Photo Courtesy Grand Valley State University Kutsche Office of Local History

Rudolph Paul “Buzz” Kutsche Jr., May 18, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was 90 years old. Buzz founded the Department of Anthropology at CC, where he taught from 1959 to 1993.

Buzz was born on Jan. 3, 1927, to Rudolph and Ethel Kutsche. His college years at Harvard University were broken up by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, but he earned his B.A. in 1949. Graduate degrees in anthropology followed from the University of Michigan (M.A. 1955) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D. 1961). He also studied at Black Mountain College and the University of Oslo, and was a United Press reporter in London.

In the field of anthropology, Buzz did fieldwork in Cherokee, North Carolina, Northern New Mexico, and Costa Rica. He published numerous articles and four books: “Cañones,” “A Guide to Cherokee Documents in the Northeastern U.S.,” “Voices of Migrants,” and “Field Ethnography.”

As an activist, Buzz’s extensive letter-writing campaign in the 1990s resulted in a significant increase in the number of colleges and universities to adopt LGBTQ antidiscrimination policies. He led the American Anthropological Association to make a nondiscrimination pledge, and chaired its Gay & Lesbian Caucus.

A deep sense of history and family were central to Buzz’s identity. Upon retirement he moved to Grand Rapids, settling in a house one block from where he grew up. The Kutsche Office of Local History at Grand Valley State University is his proudest professional legacy. The office facilitates the collection and preservation of stories of underrepresented groups in Western Michigan. One of the people he worked with said, “He made me feel, for the first time, that my history matters.”

Buzz served two terms on Grand Rapids’ Historical Commission and volunteered at a church food pantry for over 20 years. He was active on the Harvard Alumni Schools Committee, and kept in close contact with many admitted students. His sense of humor was famous, as was his exuberant personality and the love he extended to those who needed it most. His New Mexican family and friends affectionately dubbed Buzz, who was 6-foot-5, “Little Pablito” (“Little Paul”).

Buzz leaves his daughter Moana Kutsche (Brian Ehrmantraut), granddaughter Brigid Ehrmantraut, and comadre Barbara Ehrmantraut; adoptive son Alex Matos; and an extended family that includes generations of loyal students.