Ned Danson • Museum of Northern Arizona

In 1952, Ned and his family spent the summer in a small cottage near the Colton home where Ned prepared his dissertation he was about to earn from Harvard University. This fostered a close relationship between the Danson and Colton families that lasted for decades. While an instructor at the University of Arizona, Ned was named to the MNA Board of Trustees in 1955. He then was hired as MNA’s assistant director in June 1956. It was Dr. Colton’s intention to develop Ned to fill the MNA Director position upon Dr. Colton’s retirement. This occurred on January 1, 1959 and Dr. Danson served as Director until 1975.

He greatly expanded the opportunities for researchers and students to be on the MNA campus by offering programs that included housing in the infamous MNA Coops. He is also remembered for substantially increasing MNA Fine Arts collections through the establishment of the Collector’s Club. An archaeologist by training, he was a popular and well-known figure around the southwest. He was named as an MNA Outstanding Alumni in 1995. An endowed Danson Chair in MNA Anthropology has been established in his honor.