Paul Erwin Brockington, Jr.

Dr. Paul E. Brockington, Jr., the most optimistic man in the world, a friend to all he met, and beloved husband of 52 years to Peggy Brockington, died peacefully from Alzheimer’s disease on March 16, 2025.

Paul was born in Columbia, South Carolina on April 26, 1948, to Carolyn (Sprott) and Paul Brockington, Sr. As a teenager, he helped his dad build their family home on Hampton Hill Road. Paul graduated from Dreher High School in 1966. Throughout the rest of his life, he met Dreher alumni wherever he went, often in the unlikeliest of places.

He became interested in archaeology as an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina after hearing a talk given by the State Archaeologist. During college, Paul worked at the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology. After graduating in 1970, he continued his studies at the University of Kansas. There, he met Peggy Bartee, who worked in the KU Anthropology Reading Room. Paul and Peggy married in 1972, and their daughter Sally was born four years later. The day after Sally was born, Paul finished his PhD dissertation.

Paul was at the forefront of the cultural resource management industry established after the signing of the National Historic Preservation Act. After working for several of the industry’s early firms, Paul founded Brockington and Associates in 1986 with two goals in mind. First, he wanted to create a long-term community of steady employees, rather than hiring people for just one project at a time. Second, he saw clients as key stakeholders in each project; he collaborated and consulted with each client to find ways for projects to move forward while protecting cultural resources. Always an innovator, he was integral to the development of practices that are widely accepted now, but were very new in the early days of CRM archaeology.

His vision, innovation, and charisma helped the company grow, and he directed archaeological work throughout the country. He was honored to have opportunities to work on tribal consultation projects, and he maintained lifelong friendships with many of the people he met while working on these projects. He was incredibly proud of the company’s exhibit design division, which he saw as a powerful way to share the company’s archaeological research with the public. Paul served as President of the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists and as Registrar for the Register of Professional Archaeologists. He was a mentor to his employees, though most feared getting a report back from him covered in red ink. He loved meeting new people, and sometimes surprised people he’d just met by offering them a job.

Beyond the world of archaeology, Paul was interested in just about everything he encountered. He was passionate about astronomy, gardening, model trains, cowboy hats, barbecue, kites, music, and, most of all, technology, from the Apple IIc to Palm Pilots to WiFi.

When Paul retired in 2012, his daughter Sally led Brockington and Associates. Paul took great joy in his second career, caring for his grandson, Henry. Paul spent hours with Henry on the playground after school and became (of course) great friends with all the parents, teachers, and caregivers he met while playing basketball, football, baseball, and many other games he invented. In his retirement, he also made friends walking throughout his neighborhood. He remained happy and optimistic even to his last days.

Paul is survived by his wife Peggy, his daughter Sally and her husband Ed Van Ness, and his grandson Henry Van Ness; his sister Frances and her husband Rick Barnett, his brother Joe and his wife Sherry, and his sister Lee; many cousins, nieces, and nephews; and hundreds of former employees and colleagues.

Services will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 2 pm at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 2089 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia, with a reception to follow in the parish hall. We will also gather to tell stories at 6:30 pm at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia. All are welcome to join us at the church, the tavern, or both.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to support young archaeological scholars through the Hudson Fund of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC). Donations can be made online at https://www.southeasternarchaeology.org/membership/donate-to-seac-hudson-fund/ .