Tunnell, Curtis

Curtis Dale Tunnell, from Turkey, Texas, was an archaeologist, historical preservationist, oral historian and folklorist. Tunnell attended West Texas State College and the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a master’s degree in anthropology. He completed fieldwork throughout Texas, Kansas, and Arizona. Tunnell enjoyed a varied career and served in the Navy following college and worked for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum, and in 1965, Tunnell became State Archaeologist, the first person to ever hold this position. Tunnell became the Executive Director for the Texas Historical Commission in 1981. Curtis Tunnell died on April 13, 2001.