Bernard "Bunny" Fontana, a prominent anthropologist who also worked to preserve the iconic Mission San Xavier del Bac, died Saturday. He was 85.
Fontana's anthropology career included stints as field historian of the University of Arizona Library, ethnologist in the Arizona State Museum and lecturer at the UA's Anthropology Department. He retired from the UA in 1992 but remained active in the anthropology community until shortly before his death. A prolific author, Fontana wrote colorful histories of many of the Southwest's indigenous peoples.
His research focused on Southwestern ethnohistory, history and ethnology. The Tohono O'odham people, in particular, played a large role in that research. Fontana was a member of Patronato San Xavier, a group dedicated to preserving and promoting Mission San Xavier del Bac — a Franciscan mission located on Tohono O'odham land near Tucson. Fontana was considered the leading authority on the mission.
Jim Griffith, a fellow anthropologist and a former student of Fontana's, told the Arizona Daily Star that Fontana “had a tremendous effect on anyone in this part of the world who’s interested in history, interaction between cultures and anthropology. On top of that, he was a person of great charm.”
Fontana's contemporaries included photographer Jack Dykinga and the late writer Charles Bowden, both longtime Arizona Highways contributors. The day before Fontana's death, his son, Nick, emailed friends to let them know the end was near and invite them to contact Fontana via email. Dykinga responded with the following tribute, which he shared with Arizona Highways.
Bunny,
I remember our first meeting at the Arizona Daily Star. You freely shared your deep connection with the Papago people. You even seduced us into getting religion deep in a Baboquivari cave. I think back to Bowden and I learning to camp with Don Julian and yourself. Chuck and I brought freeze-dried meals while you and Julian dined on prime steaks!
But over the years you were a patient teacher. You taught me the “taste” of Arizona. That knowledge has enriched my life beyond measure and made my images authentic. Finally, you kept correspondence coming during my darkest hours, when my own chance of survival was slim to nonexistent. Your cheery banter will always ring true in my ears.
I guess one expects cheer from someone named “Bunny."
Vaya con dios compañero!
Edward McCain, another prominent photographer, passed along these thoughts about his work with Fontana.
On a warm spring day in Tucson back in 1998, I received a phone call from Bunny Fontana asking me if I was interested in working on a book with him. It was to be a comprehensive look at Mission San Xavier del Bac, the famous historic church located in the midst of the Tohono O’odham Reservation just south of Tucson. I agreed to meet with him at San Xavier in a few days to talk about it. Approximately 12 years later, “A Gift of Angels: The Art of Mission San Xavier del Bac” was published. I consider my time with Bunny another of those gifts of angels.
To hear Bunny talk about the Mission was to be lifted to a new level of understanding, not just about the place, but about the importance of belief in our lives. As he spoke about the art and architecture of San Xavier, his sense of delight in discovering and revealing a deeper meaning was intoxicating and exhilarating. He did all this in a most modest and unassuming manner. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, he was just being his best self.
I have fond memories of showing Bunny my photographs of the statuary and paintings as I attempted to reveal them in a new light, both literally and figuratively. He would practically float about the place with delight. Our partnership saw both of us through good times and grief. This is not to say that working together was always easy. Bunny was so engrossed in learning everything he could about San Xavier that there were times when I felt I had to remind him that “I’m not getting any younger, and I’d like to hold this book in my hands before I go.” A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but not entirely unfounded, given the dozen years it took to come to fruition.
With the help of many supporters and friends of Bunny and San Xavier, the book was published. It’s Bunny’s magnum opus, a fitting tribute to the Mission and to a great man who I came to cherish and treasure as a friend. He was kind and generous and full of wonder. I will miss him now, but mostly I will feel gratitude for having spent time together doing something we both loved.
You can learn more about Fontana through the UA library, which houses a collection of his work. A memorial service is planned for Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. at Mission San Xavier del Bac.