Number 216
Sarah Bennett, Editor
October 2014
2015 FAS Annual Meeting Update
Florida Anthropologist
Time Sifters is excited to announce that our
Banquet speaker for FAS 2015 will be Dr.
Jerald Milanich. In 1969, Milanich (still in his
doctoral program) led the excavation of the
Yellow Bluffs Mound in Sarasota, so it is fitting
that he return here to talk about his 50 years in
Florida archaeology.
The new co-editors of The Florida
Anthropologist, Jeff Du Vernay and Julie
Saccente, have issued a call for papers. Anyone
who is interested in submitting a manuscript is
encouraged
to
contact
the
editors
at [email protected]. The
first edition of The Journal under their
editorship will be arriving in your mailbox
shortly!
For our Friday night reception, New College
and the New College Public Archaeology Lab
have graciously agreed to host us. We will
enjoy our drinks and hors d'oeuvres on the
exquisite Sarasota bay front. Reservations are
already coming in at the conference hotel
(which is also the conference venue). We have
negotiated a rate of $129/night at the beautiful
Hyatt Regency, which is half off their standard
rates and a really great deal for this AAA Four
Diamond Hotel and 2013 TripAdvisor
Certificate
of
Excellence
Winner.
Visit https://resweb.passkey.com/go/TSAS to
book your room. The conference committee is
working out the details of the call for papers,
registration, and field trips, so stay tuned for
more news in the next newsletter.
New Histories of Pre-Columbian
Florida
Edited by Neil J. Wallis and Asa R. Randall, 2014.
University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
When I began my archaeological career ten
years ago, I set out to build my reference
library. One of the first books that came
In this issue:
http://archaeologistsforautism.org/
See the next page to learn more about Thomas Penders, the
archaeologist, as well as Thomas Penders, father and founder of
Archaeologists for Autism!
2015 Annual Meeting Update
FAS Journal Call for Papers
New Histories of PreColumbian Florida Book
Review
Spotlight Series: Thomas
Penders and Archaeologists
for Autism
Introducing the Spotlight Series
The Trail on Facebook
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strongly recommended to me was Archaeology
of Precolumbian Florida by Jerald T. Milanich.
Published in 1994, this volume still stands as
the primary resource for anyone seeking a
baseline understanding of Florida’s rich preColumbian development. In the twenty years
since, research has flourished and a more
nuanced understanding of this development is
constantly being reached.
Though many volumes that focus on studies
of particular regions and times have been
released, there has been little in the way of a
state of the union for Florida archaeology. This
volume expertly fills this gap. This is not to say
it is a replacement for Milanich’s 1994 volume,
but rather an invigorating expansion. Doctors
Wallis and Randall bring together professionals
and academics from regions across the Florida
peninsula and Panhandle and encompass 8,000
years of history (~7,500 B.P. – 500 B.P.).
The eclectic nature of the book is one its
greatest strengths, but also its one possible
weaknesses for a general reader. Though the
editors open the volume with an excellent rally
cry for further development in Florida
archaeology and an overview of the themes
explored within the following chapters, the
chapters themselves stand largely independent
of one another. Someone accustomed to reading
academic archaeology should not have a
problem and will likely be happy to see the
diversity of voices represented. For the lay
reader, this may be, at times, frustrating and
feel schizophrenic in both topic and writing
style. This text is very much designed to be a
reference work for someone with an existing
understanding of the Florida archaeological
landscape.
Much like Milanich’s volume, this volume is
about Florida history, not Florida artifacts.
Many of the authors, for example, will discuss
Florida pottery traditions by name and assume
the reader has a familiarity with the traditions’
look and style. This is not a volume for those
looking to suss out the difference in temper
between St. Johns and Belle Glade.
A few of the chapters also engage
archaeological theory and current debates in
southeastern US archaeology. In some cases the
book includes authors, who those readers
familiar with Florida academics will recognize,
are often in disagreement. This is a testimony to
the inclusiveness of the volume. In each chapter,
the region and time period investigated is spoken
for by a leading voice in that research area.
This book is strongly recommended for anyone
interested in Florida’s past and is comfortable
with an academic writing style. For those who
feel daunted by an academic tone or for the
budding archaeology enthusiast, many of the
authors do a wonderful job of synthesizing
previous work in their region and may provide
an excellent springboard to other volumes of
interest.
--Review by Jon Simon Suarez
Spotlight Series:
Thomas Penders and Archaeologists
for Autism
Who or what inspired you to become an
archaeologist?
This is kind of a long story. I went to the New
York World's Fair in 1964 when I was 2 years
old. At that Fair, they had the Sinclair Oil
pavilion which featured dinosaurs. The siblings
bought a lot of dinosaur related items. So, from a
young age I was playing with dinosaurs, looking
at books about them, etc. I wanted to be a
paleontologist before dinosaurs were "cool."
In 3rd grade I picked up a book, I believe it was.
called the Wonders of Ancient Egypt, or
something similar. I was blown away. Soon
after I read a book on the Leni Lenape Indians
of New Jersey. I knew I wanted to be an
archaeologist (though I am a closet
paleontologist).
What’s your specialty and where do you work
now?
My problem is I am interested in
EVERYTHING. I guess my specialty was
faunal artifacts, but from working at the space
center it’s leaning more and more toward
aerospace archaeology. I am the Cultural
Resources Manager for the 45th Space Wing,
USAF. I work at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station and Patrick Air Force Base. I am also
responsible for all the tracking annexes
including those on Antigua and Ascension
Island.
Tell us about one of your career highlights.
I have been VERY lucky. One was to get to
do launch support work for the 10 years I was
out of archaeology full-time (got to climb
around inside the Space Shuttle, work on Mars
Pathfinder
and
Cassini-Hyugens).
In
archaeology, it has to be working at the
Windover Site here in Titusville.
How did Archaeologists for Autism come to
fruition?
My daughter Becky, who is 15 years old, was
born with bilateral anophthalmia (born without
eyes) and typically there is also collateral
damage or other issues when a person has this.
In her case, she also has epilepsy and autism.
The autism is the primary disability. There have
been some wonderful people who have helped
Becky such as Challenger League Baseball,
Surfers for Autism, and the folks at 4 Paws for
Ability who provided us with Becky's service
dog. I wanted to do my part but was not sure
how or what I could do.
My daughter used to (believe it or not) rock
climb at a local gym. On New Year’s Day we
received an email that said they would no longer
accept low functioning children. Several children
beside my daughter were now out of rock
climbing. I was so angry especially since the
folks who ran this talked my wife and I into
doing it in the first place. It was also so unfair to
all the kids.
Two days later I was driving home from work
and started thinking about Surfers for Autism
and how wonderful it was. This led to me
thinking, “Why not Archaeologists for Autism?”
I knew right then I needed to do this. This is how
I was going to do my part. So I broke every
traffic law speeding home and told my wife.
Next thing I know, I am pitching my concept to
the
Brevard
County
Environmentally
Endangered Lands Program, Scott Center for
Autism and the Florida Public Archaeology
Network. Here we are today starting our first
event in November.
What do you want FAS to know about
Archaeologists for Autism?
The disabled (especially the children) are an
underserved portion of our population who love
archaeology and paleontology just like typical
kids. They may not understand all the concepts
the same way, but these children need to be
included. Archaeologists for Autism is all
inclusive from the lowest functioning child on
the spectrum to the highest. We are all inclusive.
The goal is to let these children and their
families have a fun filled, low stress day where
the only expectation is for them to have fun and
experience archaeology at their own pace. The
goal is to always remain free and 100 percent of
all money goes to operating costs and providing
for the children. When I created the
Archaeologists for Autism the Articles of
Association state clearly that AFA will always
be an all-volunteer entity. Also, many families
cannot afford to pay for events. Our daughter
takes over $200.00 in medications a month
after insurance. Some families we know pay
even more. So, paid activities not considered
necessities (therapies) are not participated in.
Archaeologists for Autism is here to help!
One last thought.
Autism is one of the fastest growing
disabilities in the US. The rate of autism
disorders rose 78 percent between 2000 and
2008. In 2008, approximately 1 in 88
children were diagnosed with autism disorders.
It is even higher today and continues to rise. We
need programs like Archaeologists for Autism
to provide an opportunity for these children to
be involved, have a creative outlet, and just be
free to be a child for one day. Archaeologists
for Autism is about these kids.
What question would you ask yourself?
Did you know AFA was going to be a second
full time job?
Will you answer it?
No, I didn't know, but I am sure having a blast
doing it!
Do you have any final thoughts?
I just want to thank all of those who have
supported Archaeologists for Autism to date.
Introducing the Spotlight Series
The Spotlight Series is designed to feature
members of FAS and organizations of interest.
These “interviews” are informal chats about
personal and professional interests. They will
be featured more regularly in the FAS
Newsletter. If you would like to participate, to
recommend a person or organization to feature,
or to contribute questions, please email the
newsletter
editor,
Sarah
Bennett,
at
[email protected]. Many thanks to Tom
Penders for serving as my (very cooperative)
guinea pig in this newsletter edition.
Welcome the Trail to Facebook
Congratulations to the Trail of Florida’s Indian
Heritage! You can now find the Trail on
Facebook and weekly blog posts are coming
soon. The Trail received a Visit Florida Small
Business Grant for their project, "Trail Launches
Social Media Marketing to Build 21st Century
Audiences for Native American Heritage Sites in
Florida." Using social media and a digital
newsletter format helps the Trail to share
knowledge about Florida's Indian heritage and to
promote visitation to our member sites.
Please like the Trail’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TrailofFloridasIndian
Heritage.
Information for Contributors
The FAS Newsletter is published quarterly:
January; one month before the annual meeting;
July; and October. Brief articles and chapter
news are welcome for submission. The
submission deadline for the next issue is
January 11, 2015. Contact the editor Sarah
Bennett, 2615 Crestwood Avenue, New
Smyrna
Beach,
FL
32168;
E-mail:
[email protected]. Address changes
should be sent to the FAS Membership
Secretary: Pat Balanzategui, P.O. Box 1434,
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549-1434.
FAS Membership Information
The Florida Anthropological Society (FAS) is
open to persons interested in anthropology,
archaeology, preservation of cultural resources,
and community education. FAS members
receive the journal The Florida Anthropologist
and the FAS Newsletter. Information on FAS is
on the website: http://www.fasweb.org. Dues
are: Regular and Institutional - $30; Family $35, Student $15 with a copy of a valid student
ID when applying; Sustaining - $100; Patron $1000; Benefactor - $2500 or more. Please add
$25 for foreign addresses.
Florida Anthropological Society Local Chapters
FAS Chapter
Ancient Ones Archaeological Society of North
Central Florida
Archaeological Society of Southern Florida
Central Florida Anthropological Society
Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society
Emerald Coast Archaeology Society
Gold Coast Anthropological Society
Indian River Anthropological Society
Kissimmee Valley Arch. &Hist. Conservancy
Palm Beach County Archaeological Society
Panhandle Archaeological Society at Tallahassee
Pensacola Archaeological Society
St. Augustine Archaeological Association
Southeast Florida Archaeological Society
Southwest Florida Archaeological Society
Time Sifters Archaeology Society
Volusia Anthropological Society
Warm Mineral Springs/Little Salt Spring
Archaeological Society
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