February 11, 2009
Grover Krantz Donated His Body to Science, On One Condition…
Grover and Clyde on display
The late anthropologist Grover Krantz with his giant Irish wolfhound Clyde. The above photo inspired the skeletal display currently on view.
Grover Krantz (1931-2002) was known as a teacher, a loving pet owner, an eccentric anthropologist, and the first serious Bigfoot academic. Seven years after losing a battle to pancreatic cancer, Krantz’s reputation is still well preserved, in more ways than one. His skeleton and that of his giant Irish Wolfhound Clyde are now on display at the 5,000 square foot exhibition “Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake,” which opened last Saturday at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
The exhibit takes visitors into the world of the bone biographer—how skeletons can be read to solve colonial-era mysteries or identify the victims of war crimes in Croatia. Visitors can see the skeletons of Krantz and Clyde in a loving embrace at the end of the exhibit as an example of how body donations are put to use as educational tools.
Before Krantz died, he said to Smithsonian anthropologist David Hunt, “I’ve been a teacher all my life and I think I might as well be a teacher after I’m dead, so why don’t I just give you my body.” When Hunt agreed, Krantz added, “But there’s one catch: You have to keep my dogs with me.”
So after Krantz passed, there was no funeral. Instead, his body was shipped to the University of Tennessee’s body farm, where scientists study human decay rates to aid in forensic investigations. From there, he and his wolfhounds were housed in a green cabinet in the labyrinthine back halls of the Natural History Museum, the same place they keep the dinosaur bones. Hunt even has Krantz’s baby teeth.
Krantz’s presence at the exhibit is one of the more personal touches to the “Written in Bone” exhibit. Co-curators Douglas Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide, two of the nation’s top forensic anthropologists, were colleagues of Krantz, a Washington State University professor. He played a role in the famous Kennewick Man case, one of the biggest of Owsley’s career, as one of the anthropologists arguing for the study of an 8,4000-year-old skeleton uncovered on Washington State park area. (Which, after much controversy, was finally allowed.)
Krantz was a true teacher in life, and his skeleton, on display for the next two years, will ensure he is one in death as well.
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Very interesting! Funny that he was a ‘Big Foot’ academic!
What an incredible gift to science and discovery. As tourist season gears up, Krantz and Clyde will be viewed by the swarms of people visiting the nations capitol. I can’t help but admire that his dedication to teaching continues to make such an impact.
I respected Dr. Krantz’ work and regretted not meeting him while he was still alive. I was delighted to finally “meet” him, and Clyde, and simultaneously pay my respects while touring the museum this last week with my children.
Grover Krantz was one of the finest teachers I had. He found ways of explaining difficult concepts. I was not surprised to learn he ended up at the Body Farm and the Smithsonian. He gave a lot to his students.
In the Fall of 1971, he led a expedition to try to find “Cripple Foot” a Bigfoot hit by a car the previous winter in northern Washington, known previously from casts of its feet. It was tracked for awhile, but a snow storm stopped the pursuit. Our expedition hoped to recover its remains, to no avail. On the way back to camp, Grover slammed on the brakes. I asked why, and he said a big animal had darted across the road. He had broken his glasses and could not identify the animal. It was twilight but I followed the trail for 1000 feet or so in an open pine forest. I examined the tracks in a skiff of snow on damp forest floor and concluded that it was not any hoofed animal. Whatever made the tracks had flat feet and left a mark in the snow more than a foot long. Bear? Human? Sasquatch? Grover never said what he thought it was, but he wouldn’t have stopped for a bear. Sadly, that was his best chance to see a sasquatch and he had broken his glasses.
Grover approached the whole Bigfoot thing as a scientist trying to understand a set of data. He lost a lot of academic prestige by tackling this issue. When I knew him he had not concluded that Bigfoot was a real species, but he presented a logical case that it was easier to believe an unknown species lived in the Pacific Northwest, than to believe that the data resulted from hoaxes spanning nearly two centuries. Someone bright enough to make a “monkey suit” would have been smart enough not to wear it during hunting season in the same region where a cow was shot despite having been painted in bright orange letters “COW”.
Those of us who knew him were fortunate. He is missed. I look forward to seeing him one day in the Smithsonian.
I am seeking permission from the Smithsonian Institute to oneday publish a digital photo of Grover’s skeleton, with dog… in a book I am writing entitled, “THE ASHFORD INCIDENT: The Difference Between Believing and Knowing that Bigfoot Exists”.
While I thought (after viewing some old video footage) that at times Dr. Krantz may have come across as “a little desperate” to prove to his peers and also to fellow bigfoot researchers that an unknown species of hairy, bipedal animals of gigantic proportion do indeed inhabitat the temperate forests of the Pacific Coasts, he was correct.
After decades of reading books on the topic written by bigfoot researchers, wildlife biologist and one or two academics, I became increasingly frustrated by the fact that not one of the authors/field researchers had ever seen the creature…
My frustration was due to the fact that I have seen one of the giants of the Pacific NW in years past, from a distance of about 20 feet away. I do not simply “believe” that the creature exists… I KNOW that it does.
And so, with all due respect to my fellow (WSU) “Cougar”… I plan to include a chapter dedicated to Dr. Krantz, so that his family may come to realize that Grover was right… these creatures do exist.
I also was a teacher for the majority of my adult life (K-12), but also worked as a Salmon Habitat Restoration field biologist for years. I am writing the book with the hopes that other “professionals” will come forward if they have had similar encounters, tell their story and not worry about “career suicide”… Grover stepped forward, I am joining him… I urge others to follow…
Kudos to Dr. Krantz… on his dedication to educating others in both life and death.
Dr krantz may have driven on narrow roads in pursuit of Bigfoot,but he was never “NARROW-MINDED”
[...] his 2002, death, Krantz’s skeleton and that of his Irish wolfhound were placed on display at the National Museum of Natural [...]
[...] his 2002, death, Krantz’s skeleton and that of his Irish wolfhound were placed on display at the National Museum of Natural [...]
[...] his 2002, death, Krantz’s skeleton and that of his Irish wolfhound were placed on display at the National Museum of Natural [...]
My husband and I saw this exhibit this summer. It was an inspiration to us both. We are currently in the process of donating our (eventual) bodies to a medical school. We are both teachers by trade. “I’ve been a teacher all my life and I think I might as well be a teacher after I’m dead, so why don’t I just give you my body.”
I think it is great that he left his body for futher education. I had him as a anthropology professor back in the 1980′s. He was one of my favorites. He had a very unique style. I used to stay after class to discuss evidence that proved existance of a Big Foot. He did convince me of that possibility. In one discourse I asked him why no one has ever found any bones. He knew was an avid hiker in the cascades and he responded “How many times have you found bear bones in the woods”. I never have found bear bones and rarely find those of any other animal. It makes you wonder!
Correction: the Kennewick Man is not 8,4000 but 8,400 years old.
I taught English as a Second Language at WSU alongside Grover Kranz’s wife, Diane (I think that was her name) many years ago, and she arranged for my class of international students to hear Grover lecture, in his lab, on the subject of his research interest, and I found it riveting. He was a remarkable man and knew his forensic anthropology well, often consulting with area law enforcement when faced with identifying human remains found in the wilderness. A fascinating story–thank you.
The phrase “Seven years after losing a battle to pancreatic cancer, Krantz’s reputation” makes NO sense whatsoever, unless the writer is trying to imply that Krantz’s reputation had cancer.
Sorry, not a scientific question, but one that puzzles me nevertheless: “From there, he and his wolfhounds were housed in a green cabinet in the labyrinthine back halls of the Natural History Museum…”.
Had they dug up the remains of his already deceased Wolfhounds? Had his living dog(s) been euthanised shortly after he passed himself?
Surely they didn’t put live dogs in there with the decaying body of Krantz, waiting until they themselves died of natural causes??
I had the pleasure of taking an osteology class in the late 80′ at Oregon State University from Dr. Krantz. Great class and of course, he even pulled out many of his castings he collected while researching “Big Foot”. He was a fasinating individual and I learned a lot from him.
Science is ever evolving process-so its concepts ! Thanks and Salute to those who make this process possible!
@ Monique Cremer: when I visited this exhibit this past summer, the plaque informed guests that the dog had died many years before the doctor, and his remains had been exhumed / recovered for the sake of the exhibit.
I certainly hope that no one looks to this exhibit for information on the correct positioning of the dog’s shoulder blades; I’ve owned sight hounds for many years, and never have I had an animal who’s shoulder blades traveled to this position on the body when the animal stood upright … in this photograph, the dog’s shoulder blades are pushed all the way back parallel to the animal’s spine and upper rib cage. Wrong!
I am quite shocked that the esteemed Smithsonian would allow on dispaly such a poorly reconstructed skeleton of a dog (i.e, the Irish Wolfhound above). The should assembly is all wrong, with the scapula located mid-ribcage! Excuse me? Canine anatomy 101 needs to be reviewed and the dog skeleton on display adjusted. Or should we next expect the dear Doctor’s ulna to be attached to his clavicle.
Please answer the query about the dog/s in the exhibit. Did the dogs die before Dr. Krantz, or did the exhibit wait until the dogs died a natural death? I know such large dogs as these aren’t long-lived, but I can’t imagine a dog lover wanting them euthanized at the time he died. This is a natural question that could easily have been answered in the article.
I hope someone will reconstruct the dog correctly. Even this non-medical viewer can see that the shoulder is way off in the exhibit.
Thanks!
In regards to the many questions about the dog, Clyde, rest assured that Clyde had died long before his owner, Dr. Krantz. It was Dr. Krantz himself who saved Clyde’s bones and even started to articulate them before his illness and death. It was Dr. Krantz’s wish that he be put on display with his favorite dog (he had also saved the bones of his other dogs, which are here at the museum). We tried to honor that wish as best we could. Perhaps when the Written in Bone exhibit closes in January of 2014 we can correct the anatomical placement of the canine remains. Until that time, Grover and Clyde will remain together in an embrace – imperfect as it is!