Kansas: Thompson to speak March 11

From The Kansas.com: Thompson to speak March 11
NORTH NEWTON — Kauffman Museum on the Bethel College campus will host the second of three lectures celebrating two eminent archeologists who grew up in North Newton.

At 3:30 p.m. March 11, Raymond H. Thompson will speak as part of the museum’s periodic Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum series. His topic is “Emil Haury: The Man and His Legacy.” The program is free and open to the public.

The lecture is in conjunction with the museum’s latest special exhibition, “In the fields of time: The impact of two Kansas boys on American archeology,” which opened Feb. 26.

Emil W. Haury (1904-92), nicknamed “the dean of Southwest archeology,” and Waldo R. Wedel (1908-96), “the father of Great Plains archeology,” both traced their interest in prehistory to boyhood experiences along Sand Creek in North Newton – experiences that led them to lifelong careers as professional archeologists with international reputations.

Thompson, director emeritus of the Arizona State Museum in Tucson, said, “Emil Haury was bolstered by the values of his liberal Mennonite family, his small-town experience in Kansas and the solid education he received from Bethel College.

“Haury had a major impact on the lives of many young and aspiring archeologists,” Thompson said.

, “in addition to playing a leading role in the transformation of American archeology and in the development of national policy.”

Haury grew up as a Bethel campus kid. His father, Gustav A. Haury, was a founding faculty member of Bethel College and taught English and Latin. Emil spent two years at Bethel before transferring to the University of Arizona where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in archeology. After being awarded the Ph.D. in archeology from Harvard University, he began a lifelong career at the University of Arizona and the Arizona State Museum.

Prior to Thompson’s March 11 lecture, the Mud Creek Chapter of the Kansas Anthropological Association will host an artifact identification workshop. Visitors are invited to bring Native American artifacts or early historical items. Avocational and professional archeologists will be on hand to provide assistance in identification and dating and advice on cataloguing and collection maintenance. This is a free public service to improve knowledge of Kansas archeological heritage, so no appraisals or sales will be made.