Remembering Former Director Mari Lyn Salvador

The Hearst Museum’s former director, Dr. Mari Lyn Salvador, passed away peacefully October 23rd just after a majestic Albuquerque sunset. She died as she lived, with grace and surrounded by family.

Dr. Mari Lyn Salvador

Mari Lyn, a renowned scholar, spent much of her adult life conducting research in the San Blas Islands of Panama and the Azores Islands of Portugal. During a distinguished career as a cultural anthropologist, she was a professor, museum director and generous mentor and colleague. Mari Lyn was particularly devoted to the Phoebe Hearst Museum as it figured meaningfully in the initial and final phases of her career. Serving as director from 2010 to 2015, Mari Lyn initiated multiple projects that enhanced the Museum’s goal to be a place where cultures from around the world connect with each other. These projects included the initiation of a dramatic collections relocation program, the design of a new campus gallery, and the establishment of the Native American Advisory Council that guides the Museum on its relationship with Native American communities. Without a doubt, Mari Lyn’s bold and innovative planning has contributed to the Museum’s recent advancements under her successor, Benjamin Porter.

Mari Lyn is survived by her daughter Melina, son Sergio, their spouses, Tony and Julie and her four cherished grandchildren: Griffin, Foster, Oliver and Matilda. As the eldest of six children, she is also survived by her sisters Louise and Michelle, brothers David, Pat and Michael and their families. Those who knew her will likely remember her love of flowers, good food and celebrating just about anything.

Mari Lyn’s family asks that you honor her by eating some ice cream, spending some time working in a garden and looking for beauty even when it is hard to see.

For further information, please contact:

David Tozer, Hearst Museum Head of Development
dtozer@berkeley.edu | (510) 642-3683