Fred S. Kleiner Honors James R. Wiseman in Loring Hall
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is pleased to announce the naming of a room in the Loring Hall Annex in memory of distinguished archaeologist and longtime member of the American School community James R. Wiseman, who passed away on August 12, 2026. The James R. Wiseman room is made possible by a generous gift from American School Trustee Fred S. Kleiner, a longtime colleague and close friend of Jim and his wife, Lucy.
Excavations at Stobi, 1972. Jim Wiseman, with mustache, sits in the middle, on the ground. Sitting to his left is his wife, Lucy Wiseman; above, in the white top is Ginny Anderson-Stojanovic; to the right is John Cherry; and third to the right of John is Carolyn Snively.
The gift is a deeply personal tribute. Kleiner’s friendship with Jim and Lucy Wiseman began when he joined the Boston University faculty in 1978. Fred and Jim were two of the three co-founders of Boston University’s Department of Archaeology, established around an interdisciplinary vision of archaeology unbounded by period or geography. Their professional lives remained closely intertwined over the decades. Jim served as President of the Archaeological Institute of America during several years of Fred’s long tenure as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Archaeology.
“Fred’s generosity to the American School has been extraordinary, but this gift is especially meaningful because it grows out of a friendship that spanned nearly half a century,” said George T. Orfanakos, Executive Director of the American School. “Fred has found a beautiful way to honor Jim’s life and scholarship while supporting the place that has brought generations of archaeologists together. We are profoundly grateful for the many ways Fred has strengthened the American School and for this deeply personal tribute to a treasured scholar, colleague, and friend.”
Fred Kleiner pictured here with his grandson Teddy and son Alex in the Diana E. E. and Fred S. Kleiner Saloni at Loring Hall, April 2025
A Trustee of the American School, Kleiner has been an exceptionally generous supporter of the School and its community. His previous gifts include support for Loring Hall, with a room named in honor of Hesperia, the Diana E. E. and Fred S. Kleiner Saloni, the Diana E. E. Kleiner Fitness Room, and the Athenian Agora Courtyard Garden. He has also established the Fred Kleiner Endowed Fund for Associate Member Travel, supporting Associate Members participating in official American School field trips in pursuit of their research. Together, these gifts speak to the depth of his support for the scholars, programs, and spaces that sustain the life of the American School.
Among his most significant gifts are the Diana E. E. Kleiner Memorial Fellowships, established in tribute to his late wife, Diana E. E. Kleiner, Dunham Professor of History of Art and Classics Emerita and former Deputy Provost for the Arts at Yale University. The fellowships support two first-year Regular Members of the American School’s academic program each year. The inaugural Diana E. E. Kleiner Memorial Fellowships were awarded for the 2025–2026 academic year.
About James R. Wiseman
James R. Wiseman was Founder’s Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and Professor Emeritus of Art History and Classical Studies at Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and joined Boston University in 1973, where he helped establish both the Journal of Field Archaeology and the university’s interdisciplinary Department of Archaeology.
James Wiseman with Betsy Gebhard
His wide-ranging scholarship included important work at Stobi and Corinth. His relationship with the American School began in 1959–1960 as a Student Associate Member with the University of Chicago Ryerson Fellowship, and he later served for many years on the Managing Committee and in other leadership roles.
Historian and archaeologist Ronald Stroud with James Wiseman
Wiseman served as President of the Archaeological Institute of America from 1985 to 1988 and received the AIA Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement in 2008. His legacy continues through the AIA’s James R. Wiseman Book Award and a professorship in archaeology at Boston University named in his honor.
James R. Wiseman. Photo courtesy of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
Nikopolis Project field-school students, 1992
James Wiseman guides students at the Delphi Archaeological Museum
About Fred S. Kleiner
Fred S. Kleiner is Professor Emeritus of History of Art & Architecture at Boston University and one of the founders of its Department of Archaeology, as well as former Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Archaeology from 1985 to 1998. He is the author of more than one hundred articles, reviews, and books, including The Early Cistophoric Coinage, The Arch of Nero in Rome, A History of Roman Art, and multiple editions of Gardner’s Art through the Ages.
Kleiner’s longstanding relationship with the American School is scholarly as well as philanthropic and includes articles in Hesperia on coin finds from the Athenian Agora excavations. Most recently, the School published a new edition of his Greek and Roman Coins in the Athenian Agora, first published in 1975 and now updated with new color photography.
Through Fred S. Kleiner’s generosity, James R. Wiseman’s name will now become part of the daily life of the American School, a fitting tribute to a scholar, teacher, leader, and friend whose career was deeply connected to archaeology in Greece.
Naming Opportunities
To learn more about opportunities to name a space at the American School, please contact: Andrew Federico Stewardship and Events Manager afederico@ascsa.org
Donors may choose to name a room or other area in honor of themselves, an American School scholar, or a family member, friend, or group.
Please click the links below to view the nameable spaces and options that remain:
