White River Junction, VT – Al Byars Wesolowsky, (77), lifelong learner, field archaeologist, writer and editor, storyteller, music lover, graphic artist, and cartoonist died peacefully on 1 February 2024 in Hartford, CT surrounded by friends Kurt Shaffert and Alexia Smith.

Al was born on October 15, 1946, in Dallas, Texas to Alexander and Margaret Elizabeth (Byars) Wesolowsky and spent his high school years living with his parents in Turkey. It was there that his love of history and learning blossomed. In 1961, he met an archaeologist working at the site of Gordion and became enthralled with field work. He moved back to Texas for his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and then moved to England where he graduated with a master's degree from the University of Cambridge in 1976. His career as a field archaeologist and editor spanned over three decades for the University of Texas at San Antonio and Boston University. His field work focused on burial customs at sites in the Balkans and the lower Mississippi Valley region of the United States. As a result of his focus on human skeletal remains, he was called upon from time to time to help in police investigations, as an advisor and expert for television shows and documentaries, and to create museum exhibits recreating actual ancient burial sites. Al served as the Managing Editor for the Journal of Field Archaeology, housed at Boston University, for 31 years and continued as the Senior Art Editor after his retirement. While he often extended generosity to his friends, stating that "we should not expect perfection in this life," he maintained exceptionally high standards, helping educate generations of archaeologists in illustration design, the wonders of an en-dash, and clear prose. His experiences at Boston University deepened his passion for language, graphic arts, type design, and publishing.

After Al retired from archaeology, he broadened his skills as a storyteller and moved to White River Junction, VT to attend the Center for Cartoon Studies. He learned cartooning and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 2009; Al drew upon his experiences as a world traveler and field archaeologist to create comic books chronicling his personal stories for a broader audience. At the time of his death, he was working on his autobiography and studying font creation and design.

Al is survived by three cousins, Beverly Campisi of Lubbock, TX, Robert Blomquist of Happy Valley, OR, and James Hall of Brownsville, TX. He was a gifted, entertaining, and prolific letter writer and will be remembered dearly by his many close friends and colleagues including Stephen R. Bissette, Barbara and Robert Bonorden, Elise Dietrich, Kurt Shaffert, James Sturm, John Gordon Swogger, and Cheryl Zindulka, as well as Trina Arpin, Evelyn Labree, Brendan McDermott, Ellen Spensley Moriarty, Curtis Runnels, and Alexia Smith.

Memorial donations to The Center for Cartoon Studies are appreciated.