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Society ActivitiesAnnual Meeting 20112011 Annual Meeting
The 2011 TAS Annual Meeting (the 82nd) was held at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa on October 28-30. It was an excellent event. Friday saw meetings of the Council of Texas Archeologists, the Texas Historical Commission Archeology Stewards, and the TAS Board. The Friday night Public Forum, with support from Humanities Texas, featured Quentin McGown, historian and sixth-generation Fort Worthian, who provided information about events in the region's past that not only included early settlers, but also the Native Americans that had occupied the Fort Worth area. His talk was followed by the Council of Texas Archeologists Careers in Archeology social and a chance for local individuals to have their artifacts identified by archeologists present. Saturday was filled by paper and poster presentations, a Silent Auction fundraiser, books and more to purchase in the Book/Exhibit Room, and the luncheon/Annual Business Meeting where officers were elected and a budget adopted. A Saturday evening social preceded a Banquet that featured Dr. Michael Waters of Texas A&M University speaking on Clovis/pre-Clovis occupations and the peopling of the Americas. TAS awards were also presented at the Banquet. A meeting of the newly-elected TAS Board occurred Sunday morning as folks began their treks back home. Thanks to all the local arrangements workers (find a partial list at the bottom of this page) who made the meeting so successful! This concludes the wrap-up of the 2011 TAS Annual Meeting. The information posted prior to the meeting follows.
Welcome. As your host, the Tarrant County Archeological Society invites you to attend the 82nd TAS 2011 Annual Meeting on October 28-30th in Fort Worth. All TAS members are invited, and once again, non-TAS members can attend the sessions and /or banquet at a slightly higher fee. Our conference hotel this year will be the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa located at 1701 Commerce Street, Fort Worth, TX 76001. The newly remodeled hotel features 430 custom-designed rooms and suites featuring rich custom-made furniture 21st century art, along with 32” flat-panel HD televisions, complimentary Wi-Fi Internet, and in-room Starbucks coffee brewers. The ladies in our group should plan visit the renowned Beau belle Spa to experience traditional healing arts and the latest spa therapies. An indoor heated pool and 24-hour fitness center are available, too. Spacious meeting rooms, display areas, banquet room, and business areas abound, all with wireless Internet access points. Special TAS rates are available at the reduced rate of $99.00 through September 27; to aid in reserving a room, you can book directly into the hotel online at www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/TAS82nd. Sheraton phone numbers are 1-800-325-3535 or 1-817-335-7000 (direct). Friday morning the Council of Texas Archeologists will hold their Business meeting at 9:00 AM with a possible workshop in the afternoon. At 1:00 PM a free visit and tour just for TAS members is available at the new Fort Worth Science and History Museum. This tour will include the current Feature exhibits, the Texas Cattle Raisers exhibits, and a special viewing at the Omni Theater. The Exhibit Room and Silent Auction will open at noon; this event is a popular fund-raiser for Texas Archeological Society. Many of the items available will be Native American or archeological in nature. Others to be bid on can be artwork, handmade items, books, and jewelry. Don’t just come to purchase; remember to bring something this year to donate. If you have not previously sent your items to Gen Freix, be sure to bring your items with you. In the afternoon the THC Stewardship Network will hold their fall meeting and a TAS Board meeting will follow. Some sessions and presentations will start in the afternoon also, due to the overwhelming response to the Call for Papers this year. The Public Forum at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 28 The Friday night forum will be promoted and open to the public at no charge. This year our focus is to inform Society members and the general public more about the history, Native America and Western cultural influence of the Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and surrounding areas. Our forum speaker, local author Quentin McGown, is a sixth generation Fort Worthian with a lifelong interest in history. He is also a local attorney and Associate Judge who served six years, three as chair, on the City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, and he is a past chair of the Tarrant County Historical Commission. He is chair of the Fort Worth Timeline Project, a trustee of the North Fort Worth Historical Society and board member of the Tarrant County Historical Society and the Outriders, the support organization for the Fort Worth Herd. Quentin is recognized as an expert in the Fort Worth and surrounding area’s rich history, and he will enlighten us with some of his stories about events in our past that not only include early settlers, but the Native Americans that occupied the area, too. Keeping in tradition, a Careers in Archeology Social sponsored by the Council of Texas Archeologists, and Artifact Identification will follow the forum. Archeological firms and agencies will set up displays to encourage questions about archeological work in Texas and about pursuing careers in archeology. This Friday night event is open to the public. Individuals are also encouraged to bring in artifacts for discussion with a panel prepared to assess both type and dates or related information about the artifacts. Saturday morning begins at 8:00 AM, with three concurrent sessions offering papers, posters, and table discussions. The Poster Sessions allow detailed discussion of special topics. We always have more interesting and informative presenters to hear and see than time permits. Check the schedules early to plan your day and allow time to work papers, discussions, and posters into your schedule. The Silent Auction and Exhibits Rooms also open at 8:00 AM on Saturday. Remember too, that the Silent Auction closes at 4:30, giving everyone ample time to pay for and pickup items before 5:30 PM. Registration fees also include a lunch to be served at the TAS Business Meeting where officers are elected, budgets approved, and general TAS business is conducted. Choices for lunch include Deli Sandwich with ham, turkey, salami, and cheese; Pita Sandwich stuffed with chicken salad; or a Healthy-Style Sandwich made with grilled tortilla, grilled veggies, cheese, and avocado. After lunch the rest of the day will be filled with paper presentations, discussions, and poster sessions. This is the real core of what the Annual Meeting is all about: our chance to see, hear, and learn about the great and varied archeology that is continually being done all across our state. The Banquet at 7:00 PM Saturday, October 29 Saturday evening begins with a Social Hour at 6:00 PM followed by our Banquet dinner starting at 7:00 PM. Tables will be decorated with a Western theme, so consider coming in appropriate attire. The hotel has a renowned chef who will prepare Chef Choice dinners featuring beef, chicken, or vegetarian entrees with salad or soup, and choice desserts.
Our Banquet speaker will be Dr. Michael Waters who will speak about The First Americans: A New Perspective Based on Evidence from the Debra L. Friedkin, Gault, and Hogeye Sites, Texas. Dr. Waters’ talk will focus on the need to create a new model for the peopling of the Americas. Genetic and archaeological evidence shows that people were in the Americas by 16,000 years ago. Based on evidence from the Debra L. Friedkin site and other sites in North America, these early people had biface, blade, bladelet, and osseous technologies. New evidence shows that Clovis originated south of the continental ice sheets around 13,000 years ago. The Gault site and the Hogeye Clovis cache site are providing new insights into Clovis. We’re hoping that TAS members have been diligent in letting the Awards Committee Chairman, Alan Skinner, know about the nominees who they feel should be recognized for their hard work at TAS. Awards for these various categories will be presented Saturday evening to the recipients. On Sunday morning the Executive Committee and the newly- elected TAS Board will meet. Papers may be scheduled on Sunday morning as needed to accommodate presenters. Once again, the Texas Archeological Society and TCAS will be delighted to have you attend the TAS 82nd Annual Meeting; but since the weekend will go by too fast, consider arriving a day or two early, because there is plenty to do and see in Fort Worth. Just outside the hotel doors and past the Fort Worth Water Gardens, but within walking distance of the hotel, is the exciting Sundance Square. A lively downtown cultural district, featuring restaurants, theaters, shops, nightlife, and live music. Free shuttle rides are available to visit to the Fort Worth Arts and Museums District. You just might want to see how Fort Worth's Western heritage influenced its cultural side, too.
Finally, no visit to Fort Worth is complete without a stop at the legendary Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District just north of Downtown. Unique attractions such as the Fort Worth Herd twice-daily cattle drive thrill visitors year-round. Top country music performers play the stage at Billy Bob's Texas, the "World's Largest Honky-Tonk," and a live rodeo takes place every weekend at Cowtown Coliseum, home to the world's original indoor rodeo. Shops for handcrafted cowboy boots, hats, clothing, and souvenirs are also abundant in the Stockyards. Enjoy! Local Arrangements Committee Personnel
The following Local Arrangements personnel have met and started planning:
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