John Middleton, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology (PhD, Oxford University, 1953).

It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of John Middleton, professor emeritus of Anthropology and Religious Studies, who died Friday, February 27, 2009 at Yale New-Haven Hospital. He was 87.

Professor Middleton cane to Yale from Northwestern University and the University of London in 1981, and was a leading scholar on African anthropology, authored seminal works on the Lugbara tribe of northwest Uganda and on Swahili culture. He also served his nation in World War Two, fighting for Britain both at home and in East Africa. Middleton’s death resulted from head trauma suffered after he had a seizure and fell the week before. He is survived by his wife, Michelle Gilbert, daughter, Jane Middleton, and grandaughter, DeeDee Middleton.