Lynn Rodeman Metzger

Lynn Rodeman Metzger taught Anthropology at The University of Akron from 1990 to 2014. She always considered mentoring students as her most important endeavor, encouraging them in the classroom and beyond. Lynn also believed in connecting students and their learning to the real world, and to do so, she helped found the Community Archaeology Program at The University of Akron. Having an interest in the history of canals of Ohio, she welcomed the opportunity to engage university students in doing an exploratory archeological dig at the Mustill Store. The work revealed the location of the long-lost meat market addition to the store, so that it could be added when the Mustill Store was restored to its historic appearance. The results of this study provided information for interpreting the history of the Mustill Store. She was instrumental when The University of Akron acquired the Schumacher Mill site, enabling archeological research to be conducted on the site. With the help of Saint Vincent-Saint Mary students, The University of Akron students' investigation at the site located important features of the mill, providing a framework for its subsequent interpretation. The Summit County Metro Parks acquired the site at the culmination of the research. Lynn chaired the committee that planned and developed the park that features the symbolic Schumacher Mill wheel. Lynn was an accomplished gardener and shared ideas and many of her plants with others.