Cuyler died Feb. 7, 2006, in Toronto, where he enjoyed a distinguished career, was honored as senior Fulbright fellow and fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and was curator emeritus at the Royal Ontario Museum.

In 1963, having received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, he became a curator of the Near Eastern and Asian Civilizations Department of the Royal Ontario Museum, and a professor at the University of Toronto. In 1986, he was named director of the museum, a post he held for seven years, during which time he presided over the design and creation of the Egyptian gallery. Until retirement two years ago, he continued to teach at the University of Toronto. He was involved in and headed archaeological excavations in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran — his birthplace — where, while on a dig in 1959, he honeymooned for three months in a mud-brick village.

At Princeton, he won a JV letter in 150-pound football, participated in the Whig-Clio debate, held membership in Cloister Inn, and wrote his senior thesis on "Canaanite Fertility Religion" for the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

The class extends deep sympathy to his wife, Pam; daughters Katherine and Bridget; son Timothy; and granddaughter Meredith Helen.

The Class of 1956

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1956