Society Activities

Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting 2007

Welcome to San Antonio for the
78th Texas Archeological Society Annual Meeting

General Schedule (PDF)

The Texas Archeological Society's 78th Annual Meeting will be held in San Antonio, Texas, October 26-28, 2007.  TAS members [you can join online or download a PDF membership form] are invited to attend the meetings to be held at the historic Menger Hotel in downtown San Antonio, 204 Alamo Plaza 1-210-223-4361 or 1-800-345-9285.  [hotel reservations information].  Also this year, for the first time, non-TAS-members can attend the sessions and banquet at a slightly higher fee than members.  Come to hear professional and avocational archeologists share results of their recent research through the presentation of scholarly papers, poster displays, and exhibits.  Come to participate (by donating and/or purchasing) in the Silent Auction, a fund-raiser for the Society.  One can bid on jewelry, artwork, books, and hand-made items, etc., many of them Native American or archeological in nature.  Maureen "Mo" Brown and Candy Smith are Silent Auction Co-Coordinators and may be contacted to arrange for submitting or answer questions about donations.  The Exhibits Room will house the Silent Auction as well as the “Book Room,” where agencies, societies, and individuals may pay for a table to sell their books/products.  We are planning to have the Exhibit Room open both Friday and Saturday

In conjunction with TAS functions (including a Board meeting), Friday will see meetings of the Council of Texas Archeologists and the Texas Historical Commission’s Archeological Stewardship Network.  Before the Public Forum Friday evening (see below) there will be an opportunity to meet with archeologists and have artifacts identified.  This is scheduled from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  Also offered is a private after-hours tour of the Alamo, scheduled for 6:00-7:00 PM at $10.00 per person (gather in the Menger lobby, by 5:30 PM, then go across the street to the Alamo for the tour).  Space is limited; one must reserve a place by completing this PDF form and returning it with payment as indicated.

A Friday night forum is advertised and open to the public at no charge, supported in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The Public Forum is a favorite with our members and other citizens, as special guests are invited to speak on archeological matters of interest.  This year we are excited to have two speakers, Dr. Kathleen Deagan Distinguished Research Curator, the Florida Museum of Natural History and Dr. Mike Collins Research Associate, Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin.  Dr. Deagan will speak on the Spanish Colonial archaeology of Florida and Dr. Collins will discuss pre-Clovis occupations, with a particular emphasis on the Gault site.

Their talks will be followed by a chance for students and other interested individuals to meet with archeologists representing consulting firms, agencies, and universities from around the state.  Some of the archeologists will be prepared to review archeological collections brought in by visitors.

Saturday will see papers and poster sessions.  A box lunch (see the registration for options) precedes our Annual Business Meeting where we will elect officers, vote on Bylaws changes, and adopt a budget for next year.

The Silent Auction will conclude shortly before papers end on Saturday, in time for everyone to pick up and pay for winning bids and then get gussied up for the evening Social and Banquet [don’t forget to look for the Banquet line on the Registration Form].  This year, you have the option of registering online or you can still download and mail the registration form.  We are indeed encouraging folks to feel free to wear costumes, as our Annual Meeting is again on the weekend before Halloween, and banquet room decorations will be Halloween-themed.  Costumes are not de rigueur, of course, but absolutely optional.  Those of you who have attended TAS Banquets previously know that clothing runs the gamut from jeans and tees to suits and sparkly threads.  And speaking of taste, as it were, food-wise, we are offering both a beef AND chicken entrée, as well as a vegetarian option.  For dessert – suffice it to say the Menger has great desserts, besides their signature Mango Ice Cream!  Those of you registering will be asked if you have any dietary restrictions.

The Saturday evening banquet speaker will be Dr. Doug Owsley, Curator and Division Head for Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Owsley will speak on life in Jamestown, Virginia which is celebrating it’s 400th anniversary in 2007. You definitely don’t want to miss this presentation!

We're hoping that TAS members have been inundating Awards Committee chairman Alan Skinner with nominees for the various kudos the Society offers: to be elected as a Fellow (gals can and are “Fellows,” too), or to receive the Golden Pen Award, the Distinguished Service Award, the Texas Biface Award, the Francis Stickney Field School Award, or the new C. K. Chandler Award.  Alan has told us that he would like to see a recipient for each of these honors.  We may be hearing about President’s Service and President’s Merit award winners, too.

We encourage everyone to turn in their Registration Forms and fees before October 5; that saves you money and helps your hosts with their planning.  In addition to the registration form and fees, we also recommend that you contact the Menger Hotel for reservations early in order to receive the special TAS meeting rate.  Hotel Rooms are $109.00, plus tax, and the rate is only $5.00 more than the room rate charged in 1996 when the TAS Annual Meeting was last held in San Antonio.  You will simply not have another chance to stay at the Menger (map) at this price.  Call toll free 1-800-345-9285 and reference the TAS Annual Meeting Booking Number 600257 to make your reservations today.

Student attendance is at a discount rate and we hope that with so many universities and colleges in San Antonio, and just up the road in San Marcos and Austin, students from these universities will be encouraged to participate.  Students are also invited to attend the CTA meeting as well as the Friday evening function, the latter designed to help them with their career planning.

The Texas Archeological Society looks forward to having you join us in San Antonio for a weekend of learning, sharing, and fellowship at the 78th Annual Meeting.

Contact Information

Coordinators:  Kay Hindes and Clint McKenzie – annualmeeting@txarch.org

Exhibits/Book Room:  Bruce Moses – amexhibits@txarch.org

Program Committee Chair:  Harry Shafer (with accomplices John and Desi Lou Carolla) – papers@txarch.org

Publicity:  David and Debbie Calame – ampublicity@txarch.org

Registration:  Marybeth Tomka and Lynn Yakubik – registrar@txarch.org

Silent Auction:  Candy Smith and Maureen Brown – auction@txarch.org

Treasurer:  Cathy McCool – amtreasurer@txarch.org