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Region 9

Meet the Regional Director — May and Jim Schmidt

Regional News — April 2010

The Travis County Archeological Society, along with the Gault School of Archaeological Research and the Anthropology Department from the University of Texas at Austin, co-sponsored a talk by Eske Willerslev on The Importance of DNA Evidence April 8.  The March program was by Linda Ellis on Ground, Battered and Polished Stone Tools from the Ear Spool Site in Titus County and in February Ron Ralph gave a preview of the 2010 TAS Field School.  Members of Travis CAS also toured the Gault Site on April 10.  The Society also voted to contribute to the TAS Scholarship fund.

Nick Morgan continues work at the Joyful Horse site. Email Nick to be put on his notification list.

The Llano Uplift Archaeological Society’s January talks were by Andrew Malof on the LCRA Survey between Llano and Mason and Pat Hatten on the History of Fort Mason.  In February, Tiffany Osburn reported on the Evans Depot Site (work done at the 2008 and 2009 TAS Field Schools).  The Society also hosted field trips to the Waco Mammoth Museum, Flag Creek in Llano County, and Denney Ranch 2, a nature preserve near Burnet.

Jim Schmidt continues work at the THC lab, occasionally assisted by May.  Lab work has been completed on two Waller County plantations and Ft. St. Louis material is being completed.

Alice Stultz continues work TARL one day a week.

The Society for Historical Archaeology will be meeting in Austin in January 2011.  TAS and local societies will have a table at the public archeology day and May is chairing the Silent Auction, ably assisted by Mo Brown.

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May and Jim Schmidt     E-mail: at region09@txarch.org

May and Jim Schmidt have been actively involved in Texas archeology for more than thirty years.  May's family first participated in the 1962 TAS Field School when family friend E. Mott Davis invited the family to Comal County to camp and dig.  Jim came along to the Guadalupe Mountains Field School after he and May returned from Peace Corps service in El Salvador. From the mid-1970s, Field School has been their family vacation involving their two children, Erna Martin and Christian Schmidt.  They are looking forward to a fourth generation of participation with their granddaughter, McKenna Martin.

Both are Texans by birth: May from Austin, Jim from Boerne.  They met as students at UT Austin.  Jim graduated from Huston-Tillotson College (BA in Sociology), Austin Community College (L.V.N. and R.N.) and returned to UT Austin after retiring as a nurse at the Austin State Hospital to complete a B.A. in Anthropological Archeology.  May graduated from U.T. Austin (B.A. in History and Economics, M.A. in Latin American Studies, Masters in Library Science) and retired from the Austin Public Library.  Both continue to work part-time: Jim at the French Legation and Wells Branch, May at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (Librarian).  Both are Archeological Stewards with the Texas Historical Commission.

In addition to TAS, they are members of the Travis County Archeological Society, the Southern Texas Archaeological Association and the Llano Uplift Archeological Society.  Current archeological projects include excavation at the Bowmer Site and San Felipe de Austin, lab work at the Texas Historical Commission (rebagging the Red River Field School) and screening materials from Military Plaza in San Antonio.

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