Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star

Allen Ross Scaife, 47, husband of Cathy Edwards Scaife, and son of William and Sylvia Scaife of Fredericksburg, died of cancer Saturday, March 15, 2008, at his home in Lexington, Ky.

Allen was born in Fredericksburg on March 31, 1960. He graduated from the Tilton School in Tilton, N.H., in 1978, and from the College of William and Mary in 1982 with a major in classics and philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in 1990 in classical studies at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1988, he participated in the summer program at the American Academy in Rome and in 1985, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for a year of study at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.

From 1991 to the time of his death, Allen was on the faculty at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literature and Cultures, where he taught courses on women in the ancient world, Greek art, Aristophanes, and the Greek historians, as well as Greek and Latin language courses.

Since July, 2005, Allen was the director of the Collaboratory for Research in Computing for Humanities, a research unit at the University of Kentucky which provides technical assistance to faculty for humanities computing projects, and supports interdisciplinary partnerships between resident faculty and researchers around the world.

A pioneer in using computer technology to advance scholarship in the humanities (uky.edu/~scaife/), Allen was founder and co-editor of The Stoa: A Consortium for Electronic Publication in the Humanities and a founding editor of the Suda On Line, a web-accessible database for work on Byzantine Greek lexicography. He was also co-creator of Diotima: Materials for the Study of Women and Gender in the Ancient World.

Allen most recently collaborated on the high-resolution digital imaging of the Venetus A, a 10th century manuscript of the Iliad located at the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice, and was involved in the early stages of project EDUCE, which aims to use digital scanning technologies for virtually "unwrapping" and visualizing ancient papyrus scrolls.

His many interests included sailing in the Northern Neck of Virginia, hunting, cooking, woodworking and photography.

Allen was the proud father of three sons, Lincoln (16), Adrian (13), and Russell (9). In addition, Allen is survived by three siblings, Bill Scaife of Stafford County, Susan Duerksen of Richmond and John Scaife of New York, as well as their spouses and children.

A local memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to the Swift/Longacre Scholarship Fund which provides support for students of classical studies at the University of Kentucky. Please make checks payable to the University of Kentucky and send in care of Dr. Jane Phillips, Department of MCLLC, 1055 Patterson Office Tower, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky. 40506-0027.