GSA Division Awards
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2008 ® GSA Division Awards Presented at the of the 120th Annual Meeting Geological Society of America S 4 October 2008 Houston, Texas 2008 MEDALS & AWARDS RIP RAPP this topic, beginning in the early 1980s with and methods of geoarchaeology in books several papers that focused on archaeology and journals is not going to cut it with him. ARCHAEOLOGICAL and Holocene landscape evolution in drainage His passion for field research is apparent in GEOLOGY AWARD systems of western Iowa. Soon after that his teaching, presentations at professional he turned his attention to the Des Moines meetings, and collaboration with colleagues. Presented to E. Arthur Bettis III River valley, then moved farther east and Many of Art’s students claim that his attacked a bigger stream and more daunting enthusiasm is contagious. problem: the relationship between the spatial In sum, Art has been a driving force pattern of landform sediment assemblages in geoarchaeology and undoubtedly will (LSAs) and the archaeological record of continue to have a strong influence on the upper Mississippi River valley. Art’s its direction. He deserves the recognition approach to identifying and mapping LSAs associated with the Rip Rapp Award because in the Mississippi valley revolutionized of his many outstanding contributions to alluvial geoarchaeology. Conceptualizing the interdisciplinary field of archaeological the landscape in this manner has provided geology. The Geological Society of America archeologists with a range of powerful tools and members of the Archaeological Geology for evaluating and interpreting cultural Division should be proud of honoring him in resources preserved in sediments that this way. constitute valley landscapes. Art’s expertise and contributions are not limited to the Midwest. Recently he Response by E. Arthur Bettis III E. Arthur Bettis III has been studying Pleistocene and Late Thank you, Rolfe, for the very kind University of Iowa Pliocene landscape evolution in Central Java words. I’m honored to receive this award and (Indonesia) as a context for Homo erectus thank the Archaeological Geology Division occupation of Southeast Asia. In addition to Awards Committee for its support and George reconstructing paleoenvironments, Art has “Rip” Rapp, Jr. for his foresight in helping provided information critical to interpreting Citation by Rolfe D. Mandel establish this division and for endowing this the taphonomy of the hominid-bearing award. I’ve had the good luck of playing in It is a great pleasure and honor to deposits in Java. the dirt with archaeologists for most of my introduce my friend and colleague, Art I have learned a lot from Art because career and what a wonderful windfall to be Bettis, for the presentation of the 2008 he has always been willing to share his placed with the eminent prior awardees for GSA Rip Rapp Award. Recognition of Art’s ideas. Collaboration is his mantra. This the effort! contributions to archaeological geology is comment has been echoed by many of his Reflecting on how I ended up doing long overdue, so I am pleased that the AG colleagues. Art also has gained great respect geoarchaeology brings to mind the classic Division selected him for this award. among students for his teaching skills and Grateful Dead line “what a long strange trip Art’s academic training and professional willingness to train others who are interested it’s been …” I’ve had a fascination for all experience in anthropology, soil science, in geoarchaeology. Although Art has heavy things dirty and muddy since my parents let and geology make him one of those rare teaching and research loads and numerous me start playing in the gully next to our house individuals who can excel in all three other commitments, he often devotes when I was 10. By the time I entered college disciplines. He also has the ability to considerable time to students. He has been a at Iowa State University I had cleaned up combine knowledge from these disciplines role model for many young geoarchaeologists my act—I was on a Navy ROTC scholarship in addressing archaeological problems that coming out of the geoscience and archaeology to study bacteriology for climate control demand an understanding of human behavior programs at the University of Iowa and on nuclear submarines. To fulfill my social and the earth sciences. Few people can elsewhere. sciences requirement I took Introduction effectively do this, but Art is one of them. In In addition to his research and teaching, to Anthropology and met Bill Ringle, a short, he is truly an interdisciplinary scholar, Art performed a significant service to the disheveled Anthropology instructor who over and archaeological geology, which is an geoarchaeological community during his the course of the quarter convinced me that interdisciplinary science, has benefited from tenure as Chair of the AG Division in 1992, Anthropology offered much more excitement his research and teaching. and as Editor-in-Chief of Geoarchaeology: and fun. I’ve always been somewhat of a Art’s involvement in geoarchaeology An International Journal from 2003 through science nerd and archaeology hit me as the spans more than 30 years. His most 2006. He is currently an Associate Editor for part of Anthropology where I could pursue significant contribution to archaeological Geoarchaeology, and he continues to play an my interest in biology and get dirty at the geology, and to the broader field of important role in promoting the journal. same time. A summer field school at the archaeology, is his work on soils and If I had to identify a single attribute newly reopened Lubbock Lake Site in 1973 landscape evolution in archaeological that stands out among Art’s many qualities, convinced me that archaeology, especially contexts. He has played a leading role it is his role in promoting the merits of zooarchaeology was for me. in determining how temporal and spatial field research. He is the ultimate “dirt” After graduating with a BS in patterns of erosion and sedimentation in geoarchaeologist, always emphasizing the Anthropology in 1975 I worked for a year as stream basins affect the archaeological record. need to see landscapes and soils up close a site supervisor mitigating prehistoric sites Art has published many articles dealing with in person. Simply reading about theories in the wake of Saylorville Dam flooding the THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2008 MEDALS & AWARDS central Iowa’s Des Moines valley. Since we my MS I became involved in stratigraphic and made it possible for me to pursue my had taken a soils and geology class Larry and soils work with Dave at the Rainbow interests in geology, soils and geoarchaeology Abbott and I were charged with assessing Site in western Iowa where I found myself while working for a state geological survey. the stratigraphy of several sites and soon back in a gully very similar to the one I Under the tutelage of Tim Kemmis I learned realized that our surface surveys in the valley entered at age 10. That winter I came across to pay very close attention to the details of had missed significant buried archaeological a monograph by Daniels and Jordan outlining stratigraphic sections and came to better deposits and that we were in way over our their stratigraphic and soil geomorphology appreciate how scale affects our perceptions heads. During visits to several deeply buried studies in western Iowa’s Thompson Creek of sedimentary records. Dan Muhs opened sites by soil stratigraphers from the ISU Watershed. The alluvial stratigraphy they my eyes to the wonders of geochemistry and Agronomy Department I realized that the described was nearly identical to what I had has been an incredible springboard for ideas. “matrix” rather than the artifacts was what documented at the Rainbow Site 120km to Dick Baker has been my greatest inspiration interested me the most about archaeology; the north. This was a watershed moment for both as an outstanding researcher and teacher so much for my budding career as a me—a regional alluvial stratigraphy that could and most of all by showing that one’s greatest zooarchaeologist. have archaeological significance. Since that contribution is to be a really nice person. The Fall of 1976 found me enrolled in the time much of my research has focused on the person I owe the most to is my wife Brenda Agronomy Department at ISU to begin implications of regional alluvial stratigraphy for enduring my long absences from home, for a Masters program in soil genesis and for the archaeological record. listening to my frustrations about academia, morphology. I began a project on loess, The accomplishments that this award my musings about soils and mud and for changed to the origin of stone lines, and then is based on are due in large part to the being my moon and stars. had one of those life changing happenstances colleagues and friends I’ve had the good luck A final word to those aspiring to be that pointed me back toward geoarchaeology. and pleasure to work with. My “Dirt Brothers” geoarchaeologists. If you are a geologist, While on a soils field trip to Effigy Mounds Rolfe Mandel and Ed Hajic have been physical geographer or pedologist take National Monument I ran into Clark Mallam, constant companions, a source of great ideas as many archaeology courses and an an archaeologist at Luther College researching and critics of the best kind. Archaeologists archaeological field school if you can squeeze Effigy Mounds in northeastern Iowa. During Dave Benn and Dean Thompson were it in. If you are an archaeologist take as many our conversation Clark asked if I had a willing to look at sediment to understand soils, physical geography and geology courses thesis topic and offered a soil genesis study the archaeological record and thus provided as you can.