Edmund K. "Ned" Swigart, 78, of Washington, CT died peacefully on May 14 after a brief struggle with cancer. He died as he lived, surrounded by his loving family. Ned was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 31, 1931, son of the late Lucie Emerson and the late Harry Swigart. He graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT and received his BA from Yale University in 1954. He went on to receive his MS from the Yale Conservation School and his PhD in Conservation and Education from Columbia Pacific University.

Ned was a kind and generous man with a passion for life. He had a deep commitment to his family and friends, to education in the broadest sense, and to the conservation of our natural word. He was an avid fisherman, model railroader, birder and general outdoor enthusiast. In his early years, he worked for both the National Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Thereafter, he became a much-loved instructor at The Gunnery in Washington, CT, sharing his unique understanding of the natural world with generations of young people. Towards the end of the 1960s, Ned started the Shepaug Valley Archeological Society, with the goal of learning more about and preserving the heritage of the northeastern American Indians. In 1975, Ned co-founded the Institute for American Indian Studies - with the expanded goal of researching, preserving and sharing not only the heritage but also the culture and world view of the northeastern American Indians both past and present.

Over the past 20 years he researched and wrote three genealogical books tracing the ancestry of his and his wife's families, earning national and regional awards. In April 2009, he published "A White Man's Journey To A Northeastern American Indian Faith and Its Relevance Today," sharing an alternative natural world view that he felt was the culmination of his life's work. Ned is survived by his best friend and wife of 54 years, Debbie, his three children, Lucie, Ted and Paul, his "adopted" daughter, Karen Sheehy McCall, eleven grandchildren, one great granddaughter, and many other close relatives.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the IAIS, 38 Curtis Rd., Box 1260, or The Gunnery, 99 Green Hill Rd., Washington, CT 06793.

Cemetery: Cemetery Not Applicable

Location: Munson-Lovetere Woodbury

Funeral: 1st Congregational Church of Washington

Services: A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church of Washington, CT, on Friday, May 22 at 2pm followed by a reception at the Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS).

Visitation: There are no calling hours.