Luther Sheeleigh Cressman was born in Pennsylvania in 1897. He was ordained as a priest, but felt doubts about his vocation, and began studying sociology and anthropology. After receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1928, Luther Cressman left the priesthood and took a position as Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon. He then founded the Department of Anthropology, where he served as the chair from 1935 until his retirement in 1963. In 1938 Luther Cressman’ s most significant discovery, a pair of perfectly preserved shredded sagebrush bark sandals, was found at Fort Rock, Oregon. They were the oldest footwear ever discovered. Luther Cressman’s first marriage was to the anthropologist Marry Mead, which lasted from 1923 to 1927. Luther Cressman married his second wife, Dorothy Cecelia Loch, in 1928. They had one daughter and remained married until her death in 1977. Luther passed away in 1994.