Press Release

Effective immediately

SUBJECT: Romeo Historical Society to Host Native American Talk

Ever wonder what life was like for Romeo’s first residents? On Sept. 6, at 7 p.m., the Romeo Historical Society will host a talk, by recently retired Professor Dr. Richard Stamps, about the Native Americans who lived in the area.

The free program will be held at the Romeo Arts and Archives Center, located at 290 N. Main Street in Romeo. Several Native American artifacts will be on display and Dr. Stamps will talk about the people who owned them and how they were used in Daily life. Dr. Stamps will also attempt to identify, but not appraise, Native American objects belonging to audience members. So if you have a locally found Native American artifact and would like to learn more about its history, be sure to bring it with you to the program. For more information call the Romeo Historical Society at 586-752-4111.

About the Romeo Historical Society The Romeo Historical Society is a 501 c3 organization dedicated to the preservation of Romeo’s exceptional heritage. The Society is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historical Society of Michigan and the Macomb County Historical Alliance. RHS supports three museums in downtown Romeo, the Bancroft Stranahan House at 132 Church Street, the Clyde Craig Blacksmith Museum at 301 N. Bailey and the Romeo Arts and Archives Museum (RAAC) at 290 N. Main Street. Each museum offers a unique experience showcasing Romeo's history. All three locations are within walking distance of downtown Romeo. The RAAC and Bancroft Museum are open Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. The Clyde Craig Blacksmith Museum is open on the third Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m., and all three are open by appointment. For more information go to www.romeohistoricalsociety.org or call the RHS at 586-752-4111.

Dr. Richard Stamps Bio (Compliments of Dr. Richard Stamps) Richard Stamps was raised I a multi-ethnic community in California where he developed an early interest in peoples and cultures. After two years of junior college, he traveled in 1962 to Hong Kong and then , the Republic of where he served as a missionary for the Mormon Church for two and a half years. Returning to the States in 1965, he pursued his education at BYU in Anthropology/Archeology and Asian Studies. His archeological studies to him to study the Yurok Indians in California, the Fremont culture in central Utah, the Anasazi culture in the American Southwest, the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, the Neolithic cultures of central Taiwan, the Yami of , the Silk Road of Central Asia, various prehistoric cultures in Michigan and 19th century historic sites in Michigan and Illinois. He has pursued purely academic as well as applied research. He authored or co-authored 35 research reports reviewed by the State Archaeologist’s Office that summarized the results of various contract projects. These contract projects provided on-the-job work experience for his students. His work directing excavations at the boyhood home of Thomas Edison in Port Huron, Michigan, between 1976 and 1994 was an example of successfully blending teaching, research and community service (paper presented at the Society of Applied anthropology annual meetings 1992). From 2008 to present, he serves as an Archaeological Consultant for the Waterford School District’s “Teaching American History.” Professor Stamps also has a passion for China and things Chinese. He has lived in China for 7 of the past 40 years. He has made 18 trips to China with side visits to Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Soviet Central Asia. On 12 occasions he has led tours to China.

Professor Stamps is strongly committed to teaching and is involved with various student organizations at Oakland University. He has won the College of Arts and Sciences Service Award, the Student Organization/ Leadership Black and Gold Award, the University Teaching Excellence Award, the student Link Award and the Honorary Alumni Award. He has served on the boards of the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society, and the Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society. He now serves as a member of the Rochester Historic Districts Committee and the Oakland County Historical Commission.

Married with five children and 19 grandchildren, Professor Stamps is involved in various family, church and community activities.

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