July 18, 2023
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Diane Harris Cline, a longtime AIA member and friend. Diane died on July 8, 2023, after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her loving parents, Robert and Sandra Robbins Harris, her sisters Elaine and Janet Harris, her husband Eric H. Cline, and her children Hannah and Joshua Harris Cline.
Diane was a scholar, educator and accomplished cellist. She is a graduate of Princeton University (Ph.D.) and Stanford University and is a two-time Fulbright Scholar. Her expertise in ancient Greek history, social media, and epigraphy was renowned, and during her career she was a tenured professor at California State University, Fresno, the University of Cincinnati, and professor tenured associate professor of history and classics at George Washington University. and even spent four years working in intelligence for the National Security Agency following the September 11, 2001 attacks before returning to academia. Diane shared her passion for archeology with her students and received teaching awards from George Washington University in 2017, 2018, and 2021 before achieving emeritus status last spring following her retirement.
Diane has been an active member of the AIA for over thirty years. During this time, she held several senior positions within the local AIA societies of Washington DC, Cincinnati, Ohio and San Joaquin Valley. Most recently, she served as president of the Washington DC Society from 2019 to 2021. Diane has also held positions on several AIA national committees, including those related to regional symposia, AIA fellowships, and the awareness of schools. Diane has presented several times at the AIA Annual Meeting over the years, was a beloved speaker on the AIA National Conference Program from 1997 to 2020, and an ardent supporter of local AIA Societies . His scientific work has been published in the American Journal of Archeology and his latest AIA publication, “The Social Life of Bronzes: Actor-Network Theory on the Tangled Acropolis,” will be presented in the Selected Articles on Ancient Art and Architecture Vol. 7which is expected to be released later this summer.
We offer our deepest condolences to Diane’s family, colleagues and friends. She will be greatly missed.
Last April, Diane gave her last public lecture, looking back on her career. The recording of this conference can be viewed here.
