Clarence H. Webb was born on August 25, 1902, near Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Shreveport high school and graduated at the age of seventeen. After graduation, he attended Tulane University and earned his undergraduate degree in 1923. He then went on to earn his medical degree by the age of twenty-three. After earning his medical degree, he married Dorothy Dodd. Webb continued his education and received his masters in Pediatrics from the University of Chicago. He then returned home to Shreveport where he co-founded and opened the "Well Baby" clinic, which stayed in service for almost fifty years (William G. Haag).
Clarence's passion for archaeology didn't appear until his sons and him were on a boy scout trip in northeast Louisiana. In Louisiana, Clarence discovered Indian fossils. The nature of fossils intrigued Clarence which is why this area of study became his finest accomplishment. Clarence and his lifelong cronies, Edward Neild and Michael Beckman, came across 1,5000 stone-vessel fragments at the site Poverty Point, which is located in the northeast corner of Louisiana. Webb also excavated 46 individuals, none of which were identified, at the Belcher Mounds Site in Caddo Parish. In 1935, the site Ida was discovered. At this specific site, earthenware pottery was collected from the time period 1200 A.D. to 1400 A.D. It is highly suggested that this pottery belonged to the Caddo Indians, who were native to the area. Two bodies from the Smithsport Landing site are also believed to be from the Caddo Indians. However, this site was and still is considered a non-burial site.
Clarence H. Webb received many awards and honors in his latter stages of life. He was elected president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and in 1965 he was given the highly touted Grulee Award. Webb also received an award from LSU Medical School that recognized him as an outstanding clinical instructor. Centenary College of Shreveport honored him with an L.L.D., while Daughter's of the American Revolution named him the most "Outstanding Man in America." In 1970, the Louisiana society named him their first president and later in 1985 the American Archaeology chose Clarence as their president (William G. Haag). On January 18, 1991, America lost one of the early ambassadors to archaeology with the passing of Clarence Webb. In addition to having a prestigious background in medicine he is still considered by his colleagues to be an outstanding amateur archaeologist in the southern United States.
References:
Haag, William G. American Antiquity, Vol. 57, No. 3 (July, 1992) Pages 393-396
National Park Service, NAGPRA notices of inventory completion: human remains
and associate, www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nagpra/DOCS/nic0419.html
<http://www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nagpra/DOCS/nic0419.html>
Written By Andy Walden
Edited By Lindsey Alston, 2007