Ross Cordy

Who is Ross Cordy?

Dr. Ross H. Cordy was the branch chief of archaeology in the State of Hawaii's Historic Preservation Division, having headed that office and program for 16 years. He is currently the Humanities Division Chair at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu where he teaches Hawaiian and Pacific Islands studies courses and a few archeology courses. Dr. Cordy is a volunteer archeology instructor for the Waianae High School - Hawaiian Studies Program where he teaches hands on archeology, history and historic preservation issues.

He has conducted research on Hawaiian archaeological and historical topics since 1968. He has done fieldwork throughout the Hawaiian Islands, on all the major Micronesian Islands, and in the Society Islands, and taught at universities in New Zealand. His writings include more than 80 published articles, books and monographs and numerous manuscript papers on a wide variety of Pacific subjects.

Dr. Cordy was raised in Davis, California, and received his BA from University of California, Santa Barbara, MA from University of Michigan and Ph.D from University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dr. Cordy is part of a family of researchers and academics. His sister, Dr. Ann Cordy Ph.D is a textile specialist who has studied Oceanic textiles. His mother, Elizabeth Cordy M.A. was also a textile specialist. Dr. Ross Cordy's father, Dr. Donald R. Cordy was a founding member of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He chaired the pathology department from 1960 until 1969. His cousin, Alana Cordy-Collins is an anthropologist and archaeologist who specializes in Peruvian prehistory, and her father was Mayanist Napoleon Cordy.