The class of '95

One of the many ever-changing field crews from 1995. Standing from left: Dr. Billy May, Dr. Gene Rowe, Joan Herrera, Bill Gifford, Don Munroe, Mark Renz, Ken Kirkpatrick II, Andy Hemmings, Jewl Pozefsky, Terry McKibben, and Jack Simpson. Kneeling: Joe Latvis and Brian Yates. On all fours: Miss Fossil

Photo Jack Simpson

 

BY MARK RENZ , MARY GOUCHNOUR, KEN KIRKPATRICK AND DAWN PINDER

We never cease to be amazed at the diversity of personalities, occupations, educational backgrounds, socioeconomic stations, geographic origins, avocational interests and ages represented among volunteers who collectively become the field crew each year. The following mini-biographies are a glimpse into the multidisciplinary, multidimensional, multifaceted "Class of '95".

 

PAUL AUGHEY, 28, is a computer programmer in Tallahassee, and is pursuing a degree in archaeology and computer science. He's also in charge of dry cave surveys in North Florida.

 

DAVE BALL, 30, of Oakland, CA. is part of the Academic Diving Program for Florida State University. He is working toward a Master's degree in anthropology at FSU. The Aucilla is one of at least 12 archaeological projects for Dave.

 

JODY BARKER, 39, lives in Orlando, FL, where he works as a welder. "I've worked as a volunteer for many projects," said Jody, "but none like this one".

 

LANCE CARLSON, See "ARPP"

Student Profile Spotlight”

 

BRINNEN CARTER , See "ARPP"

Student Profile Spotlight”

 

STEVE DOORBAR, 31, of Los Angeles, CA is pursuing a degree in archaeology at the University of Florida. He has a B.A. in philosophy.

 

DANIEL FALT, 23, of Gainesville is currently completing his master's thesis on terminal Pleistocene lithic artifacts from Somalia, and he looks forward to doing more research on maritime adaptations in both the Old and New World.

 

GRAYAL FARR, 52, of Winter Haven, FL. is retired from the Army, holds a B.A. in history from Florida State University and is currently a first semester graduate student in anthropology/ archaeology at FSU.

 

JONATHAN FAUCHER, 23, has a B.A. in anthropology from the University or Arizona, is a grad student at Texas A&M, and a dive instructor. Jonathan has archaeological project experience from Arizona's Morona Mound.

 

WILLIAM O, GIFFORD, 46, of DeLeon Springs, FL is a dive instructor, and has participated in at lease 20 natural science projects.

 

STEVE CLOVER 47, has a B. A. degree in English, and is semi-retired from advertising/graphic arts. "Witnessing the elephant remains was a transcendental experience," he said.

 

MARY ELIZABETH GOUCHNOUR, 37, of Newberry, FL was educated as a radiation therapist, and is currently pursuing an A.A. degree in anthropology. Because her dad was a surgeon and respected amateur archaeologist/river diver, she grew up in a house full offossils, artifacts and great discussions about the natural sciences.

 

EDWARD M, GREEN, 65, of Springhill, FL is retired from Ford Motor Company. He has a B.A. degree in history from Michigan State University. He's a 35 year member ofthe Michigan Archaeological Society, and a longtime veteran volunteer for the Aucilla project.

 

ANDY HEMMINGS. See "ARPP"

Student Profile Spotlight”

 

JOAN HERRERA,

 

TOM KELLEY, 45, of Miami, FL. Tom lives in Tallahassee, where he works as a residential building contractor.

 

KEN KIRKPATRICK, 26, of Moody Air Force Base, GA is in maintenance management with the U.S. Air Force. "This project enables one to connect himself with the past through exposure to a 12,000 year-old Paleo Indian site," he said.

 

ROBERT L, KNIGHT, 47, of Gainesville, FL is an environmental scientist with a Ph.D. in ecology. "This is the most exciting archaeological project underway in Florida right now," he said.

 

JOE KOESTELNIK, 35, of Gainesville, FL works as an environmental analytical chemist. Joe has a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Florida.

 

HANK KRATT, 33, of Tallahassee, FL is an undergraduate in anthropology at Florida State University. "This was definitely a chance to work with a great bunch of people," he said.

 

WILLIAM B, MAY, 67, of Richmond, VA is currently a dentist in Richmond. He has a B.S. degree, a Master of Humanities degree and is a D.D.S. His volunteer projects are many, including the Dry Tortugas, Bermuda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Beliz, Turks and Cacos.

 

TERRY MCKIBBEN, 35, of Orlando FL is an ex-carpenter who holds an A.A. degree and is working on a B.S. in engineering.

 

CHUCK MEIDE, 24, of Jacksonville, FL teaches underwater archaeology as a graduate student at Florida State University. Chuck has an M.S. degree in anthropology. He has helped with underwater excavations for the LaSalle shipwreck in Matagorda, TX, and Little Salt Spring near Punta Gorda.

 

MATT MIHLBACHLER, 22, of Sigel, IL is currently an under graduate anthropology major at Carbondale, IL. As a direct result of his 1995 participation in the ARPP, Matt is applying to the University of Florida as an undergraduate specializing in vertebrate paleontology.

 

MARK PETER MUNIZ. See "ARPP"

Student Profile Spotlight"

 

DON MUNROE, 45, of Gainesville, FL has a degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida and works there as radiation safety officer. It's his second season with the Aucilla project. "This is a great opportunity for amateurs to work side by side with professionals", he said.

 

MICHAEL L, NOLAN, 33, of Pierson, FL is a broker and grower of decorative foliage. This is Michael's second natural science project, the first being an archaeological survey at DeLeon Springs. "We are over-payed", he said referring to the work the volunteers took part in.

 

ROBERT PATTON, 25, of Gainesville is now researching the development of complex political relationships among the prehistoric peoples of Florida. His master's thesis (soon available from the Florida Museum of Natural History's Southwest Florida Project) explored this topic through the shell artifacts from the Pineland site, in Lee county.

 

DAWN FINDER, 37, of Jacksonville, FL has a B.A. in religion and a Master's degree in social work. In the "real world" she's a private consultant and human resources trainer. "I don't really have a great interest in science", said Dawn, "but I lo\ie playing in the mud."

 

JEWEL K. POZEFSKY, 71, of Altamonte Springs, FL has an M.S. degree in math. Her volunteer projects include the Museum of the Rockies in Montana, Hunters Creek in Kissimmee, and Thomas Farm in Gilchrist County. "I'm looking forward to the results of the Aucilla project from what we found in May. The pictures were great; the tape looked as if we were in the Amazon."

 

MARK RENZ, 4·0, of Punta Gorda FL works as operations manager for Babcock Wilderness Adventures. He also operates Fossil Expeditions a guide service to local vertebrate fossil beds and teaches "Fossiling Without A Ph.D." a continuing education class at Edison Community College in Fort Myers.

 

EUGENE T. ROWE. See "Volunteer Profile Spotlight”

 

RANDY RUSH, 49, of Miami, FL has a B.A. degree in business administration and is currently a diver for an engineering company as well as part owner of Sea Hawk Diving Center in Homestead, FL.

 

DAVID SHEA.

 

BRAD STACKPOOLE.

 

DAVE THULMAN, 40, Tallahassee has a B.A. degree in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from George Washington University. Dave is a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

 

BILL TILDEN, 61, of Sopchoppy, FL has worked extensively as a surveyor in the EvergIades, Naples, Fort Myers, Brooksville and Tampa. "We're trying to get the dead to talk," said Bill of the project.

 

FRANK WILLSON, 68, of Lake County, FL has a B.S. in chemical engineering, and is retired from the petrochemical industry. Besides the Aucilla, he has worked as a volunteer for the DeLeon Springs project.

 

LOIS WILLSON, 64, of Lake County, I'L is a retired legal secretary. "You should have seen the look on my face when I saw how quickly the food I cooked (for project members) disappeared," she said. "I had a ball up there, all the people were great and worked well together."

 

BRIAN PATRICK WOODS, 28, of Northern Ireland now lives in Minneaprrlis, MN, where he works in the banking industry. He has a B.A. in journalism, a B.A. in history from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.

 

BRIAN YATES, 24-, of Tallahassee, FL is a graduate student in anthropology at Florida State University, focusing on underwater archaeology, human osteology and diving sciences. He's been involved in at least 10 projects, and is a member of Florida State University's Academic Diving Program.