In Memoriam Norma Kershaw

Deeply saddened, we share the news that Norma Kershaw, a long-time loyal supporter of the American Research Center in Egypt, Orange County Chapter passed last week at the age of 95. She left this world peacefully, in her Mission Viejo, California home, in the morning of September 14, 2020.

On behalf of the ARCE-OC Board of Directors, I offer our sincere condolences to Norma’s family and numerous others who were close to her. Norma’s strong personality and her ability to touch lives and to influence and connect people is leaving a huge void in our hearts and lives. She will be missed dearly.

Born on New Year's Eve in 1924, Norma worked in advertising before marrying Reuben Kershaw, a real estate investor. They and their two daughters, Barbara and Janet, lived happily in Glen Neck, NY. At the age of 43, after raising the daughters, Norma decided to pursue her education. She completed her B.A. at Queens College, City University of New York in 1972, majoring in anthropology and art history, and then, she moved on to earn a M.A. degree from Columbia University in art history and archaeology in 1974. She once showed me a note from her younger daughter in reaction to that amazing achievement. Janet wrote “Can I call you MA now?”

Norma was passionate about ancient art history and archaeology. She participated in archaeological excavations in Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt. Curious and open minded as she was, she traveled to many places in the world, including Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. With passion, wit, and a dose of Norma’s well-known humor, she taught art history and archaeology courses for 18 years at the Hofstra University Continuing Education and Long Island University Post. Her ability to convey the importance of art historical and archaeological material made her a widely respected speaker. From 1976 to 1989, she served as a lecturer for the United Nations Cultural Affairs Committee.

In 1990, Norma and Reuben moved to Mission Viejo, Calif. to be closer to their daughters. In 1991, Norma became a founding member and a long-time supporter of ARCE-OC. In 2007, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, named its 300-seat auditorium after Norma Kershaw. Serving on a Board of Directors of the Bowers Museum, Norma made it possible for the ARCE-OC chapter to have its monthly lectures there. Using this space has made our lectures very special for the members of the chapter and for the speakers. In 2017, the chapter had an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with the Bowers Museum – all thanks to Norma.

Norma’s passion for archaeology was the foundation of her long and highly accomplished history with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). In 1968, she helped found the Long Island Society, serving as its president from 1977 to 1981. She became a Lifetime Member of the AIA in 1976 and received AIA’s prestigious Martha and Artemis Joukowsky Distinguished Service Award in 1989. She also served as a travel editor for AIA’s ARCHAEOLOGY magazine, from 1980 to 1985. After moving to California, she founded the AIA’s Orange County Society in 1991 and served as its first president. She joined the AIA Governing Board in 1992, and, in 1996, was the first female (and up to now the only) named as a Trustee Emerita of the Institute.

Norma was also deeply committed to other archaeological organizations. She was a founding president of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute, served on the editorial board of the Biblical Archaeology Review, was a honorary trustee of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and honorary trustee of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). From the latter, she received the Richard J. Scheuer Medal in 1997 and The Charles U. Harris Service Award in 2014.

Norma’s passion has never stopped. She was instrumental in bringing the Dead Sea Scrolls and House of David Inscription exhibitions to the Bowers Museum, where she served on the Board of Trustees. She was also responsible for endowing two university chairs. Dr. Aaron Burke holds the Kershaw Chair of Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and Dr. Thomas Levy the inaugural seat of the Norma Kershaw Chair in the Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Neighboring Lands at the University of California, San Diego.

The ARCE-OC Board of Directors and I will cherish Norma’s wisdom, generosity, and commitment to ancient history and archaeology, particularly Egyptian and Biblical, for as long as we can. Norma had sponsored the chapter’s numerous speakers and events. She had attended our monthly lectures regularly and was there in spirit after she was unable to attend in person. I called her my Jewish Mom and she kindly encouraged it.

We will miss you, Norma!

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