Society Activities

Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting 2008

Welcome to Lubbock for the
79th Texas Archeological Society Annual Meeting

The registration deadline for the 2008 Annual Meeting has passed!

A preliminary schedule of paper presentations is now available here in PDF format.

The 1:30 tour at Lubbock Lake Landmark is full, as is the reception at the Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library.  As of Monday, September 22, there were about 5 tickets available for the 2:30 LLL tour. Sign up on the registration form (no charge, just limited spaces).

The period for getting the really good rates at the Holiday Inn Park Plaza ends after SEPTEMBER 25.  Hotel info here.

Remember, all conference speakers (the exception being invited guest speakers) must be TAS members and registered for the meeting.

An Invitation to the 2008 TAS Annual Meeting

The Texas Archeological Society’s 79th Annual Meeting will be held in Lubbock, Texas, October 24–26, 2008.  All TAS members are invited to attend the meetings, and, for the second year, non-TAS members can attend the sessions and/or the banquet at a slightly higher fee than members.  In a sense, having the meetings in Lubbock is a sort of homecoming for the TAS; many of the pioneers in Texas archeology and early members of the TAS worked in the Panhandle.  The theme of “pioneers of Texas archeology and Panhandle archeology” will be carried into the public forum, banquet, session, and excursions.  We’ve got a fun and busy weekend planned, so start making your plans to attend early.

The conference hotel is the Holiday Inn Park Plaza, conveniently located on Loop 289 on the south side of town.  Some of you will remember this as the site of the 1994 TAS and Plains conference.  Just this year, the hotel completed an extensive renovation, so you may not recognize the place.  We recommend that you contact the hotel early to reserve a room (single or double) at the conference rate of $89.00, plus tax.  There is a small block of student rooms at the same rate for up to four people per room.

Friday Morning/Afternoon
The weekend will informally begin on Friday morning with the Council of Texas Archeologists’ fall meeting and after lunch, the Texas Historical Commission’s Archeological Stewardship Network’s meeting, both held in conjunction with the TAS functions.  To accommodate folks attending these Friday meetings, we have reserved a block of rooms on Thursday night at the conference rate.

Friday Afternoon
For those of you who cannot make it into Lubbock on Thursday night, plan on arriving early Friday afternoon because we several free excursions lined up.  Dr. Eileen Johnson, Director of the Lubbock Lake Landmark and Curator of Anthropology at the Museum of Texas Tech University, has arranged for two private tours of the Landmark for TAS members.  The first tour will begin at 1:30, and the second will start at 2:30.  Each will last about an hour and a half, and space is limited to 20 per tour.  You can sign up for the tours on the registration form.

Later that afternoon, the Southwest Collection on the campus of Texas Tech University, will host a private reception for TAS members to coincide with their exhibit on “Medieval Southwest: Manifestations of the Old World in the New.”  Artifacts from the TAS Field Schools at Presidio San Sabá will be on display as part of the exhibit.  Space is limited to the first 50 to register for the reception, which will include appetizers and a cash wine and beer bar.

Also on Friday afternoon, early arrivals will have first shot at bidding on the Silent Auction and perusing the Book Room.  As always, the Silent Auction will feature a variety of jewelry, artwork, curios, and books, and this year promises to be a bonanza for book collectors and scholars.  We’ll be featuring materials from Dr. William Mayer-Oaks’ collection as well as a library of books donated by Dr. Ann Schlosser.  Bennett Kimbell, this year’s Silent Auction Coordinator., may be contacted for more information about how to make a donation. See the Silent Auction notice in this newsletter.  The Book Room will feature books and other items for sale by vendors.  We plan on having the Silent Auction and Book Room open from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Friday Evening
After the tours and reception, plan on attending the Friday night Public Forum at the Holiday Inn Park Plaza.  This event is also free and it is open to both registered conference attendees and the general public.  This year’s speaker will be Mr. Brett Cruse, of the Texas Historical Commission, who will talk about his research on the Red River Wars.  The public forum will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Following the forum, the Council of Texas Archeologists will host their annual Careers in Archeology social.  This is a great chance for students and other interested individuals to meet with archeologists from consulting firms, state agencies, and universities.  As always, the social will have snacks and a cash bar.

Saturday Morning/Afternoon
Both the Book Room and Silent Auction will reopen Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.  The Silent Auction room will close at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon to give our volunteers time to tally the winning bids.  The room will reopen at 4:30 so everyone has time to collect and pay for their winning bids before the evening’s festivities.  The Book Room will close at 5:00 p.m.

The meeting will feature papers and posters all day on Saturday.  In addition to general sessions featuring recent research by both professional and avocational archeologists, there will be several organized symposia, including papers by the THC’s Stewards, and a session dedicated to the Pioneers of Texas Archeology.

A box lunch, included in the cost of registration, will precede the Annual Business Meeting on Saturday.  All members are encouraged to attend; at the business meeting we will elect officers, vote on Bylaws changes if any have been submitted, and adopt a budget for next year.

Be sure to indicate your preference for lunch on your registration form.  The chef at the Holiday Inn Park Plaza and the Local Arrangements Committee have selected the following options for you to pick from:

Ultimate Sub Sandwich: all of your favorite sub meats, pickles, and peppers, served with vegetable sticks, chips, a fresh baked brownie, and a soft drink.

Butter Flake Croissant Sandwich: Smoked turkey breast, ham, Provolone cheese, lettuce, and tomato, served with whole fruit, pasta salad, a fresh baked cookie, and a soft drink.

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich on a Kaiser Roll: The vegetarian option this year features a Portobello mushroom sandwich served with pasta salad and a soft drink.  Take that, San Angelo!

Saturday Evening
The highlight of the meeting is always the Saturday evening Social and Banquet.  We’ll kick things off this year with a cash bar at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Banquet at 7:00 p.m.  This year’s speaker is Dr. Jane Holden Kelley, Professor Emerita of Archaeology at the University of Calgary.  She will talk about the important role her father played in the history of archeology in West Texas and the founding of the TAS.  Her talk promises to be a fascinating look at one of the pioneers in the field.

Did we mention that the Holiday Inn chef won Best Chef in Lubbock last year?  He has some fantastic banquet options planned for us.  Be sure to indicate your preference on the registration form!  All of the options include a dinner salad, iced tea, freshly brewed gourmet coffee, dinner rolls, and dessert.

Chipotle Lime Chicken with a black bean sauce, Spanish rice, and chef’s cut vegetables

Herb Pork Loin with Dijon mustard, au gratin potatoes, and chef’s choice of cut vegetables

Vegetarian Lasagna with a crème spinach sauce, with chef’s cut vegetables

Everyone is encouraged to register by October 3 to take advantage of lower advanced-registration fees!  Also, be sure to contact the Holiday Inn Park Plaza early for reservations to receive the conference rate.  After September 25, any remaining TAS rooms will be released, so be sure to plan ahead.

A Small Reminder
Lubbock is partially dry. While you can buy drinks at most restaurants, you cannot buy beer or wine at a grocery store, and there are no liquor stores in the city limits.  If you enjoy paying 25 percent over retail, there are plenty of liquor stores just outside of the city limits.  Once again, plan ahead.

Local Arrangements Committee members at this time are Brett Houk, Annual Meeting Organizer; Tamra Walter, Program Chair; Lauren Whitman, Registrar; Faith Johnson, Treasurer; and Bennett Kimbell, Silent Auction Coordinator.