meaning we had the laborious task of cutting her out of the pirates. I enjoyed the The Art of Exploration rock and carting her to the museum. But others— the prepara- movie because they got Extraordinary explorers and creators inspire us all to reach our own potential tors— then had to spend years chipping away the rock around most things archeologically the petrified bones, assembling the skeleton and studying her. right, like the ship, the pirates town, even the What are your goals? some of the treasure. Of course, the ghosts and Hendrickson: Well, I love diving and always will. I am Hendrickson their story aren’t true, but the rest of it is wonderfully accurate. involved in another site off the coast of Egypt in Abu Qir, where we have found shipwrecks from the time of to antiq- What words of advice do you uity and the sunken city of Herakleion. The port and the sunken have for us? city of Herakleion and the port at the ancient entrance to the n 1990, fossil hunter River Nile. This will keep me busy probably for the rest of my Hendrickson: I wish all young adults could go spend 3 Sue Hendrickson life. And I still want to return to Peru, where I have hunted for months or a year in a third world country so they could under- discovered the fossil whales. I would like to stand that 90% of the world does not live like they do. This is I largest, most complete, go to Antarctica to look for important in order to develop not only tolerance for other dinosaur bones, but it is so ways, but to open their eyes and minds to a whole vast world best preserved cold there that I might let outside what they are used to. skeleton of a that one go. The most important thing is for you to have an open mind, rex to be curious and ever found. Sixty six I want to continue to build follow your more museum exhibitions dreams. And if you million years ago, this that make people say don’t have a dinosaur roamed what “wow.” For example, I dream now don’t are now the Badlands would like to find a wooly worry. Just try a of South Dakota and it mammoth and put it in a lot of different died on what is now “I want to continue to giant, REAL ice cube so things and new people could go up and ideas will keep the Cheyenne River build more museum “The most important touch it. There is technology emerging. To me it Indian Reservation. Sue exhibitions that that might make this isn’t so much your thing is for you to and her dog Gypsy make people say possible. And I want to keep level of intelligence have an open mind, to searching the Cuban waters or luck as it is your be curious and follow found the skeleton eroding from a the sunken city of Cleopatra in Sue and her dog, Gypsy, with ‘wow.’ For example, I Tyrannosaurus Sue at the Field for Cortez’s ship that persistence. If you sandstone bluff miles from their would like to find a your dreams.” Alexandria, Egypt to ship wrecks Museum in sank with all the treasure really want to do base camp. Today the skeleton in the Pacific and the Caribbean. wooly mammoth and that was raised to pay something, go for it. You must believe in yourself. You can do resides in the Field Museum in She also searches rain forests for teries to discover more about the put it in a giant, Montezuma’s ransom. The anything in spite of what anyone says. film, Pirates of the Caribbean Chicago, Illinois. deposits of amber, fossilized tree earth and the ancient and modern REAL ice cube so Read more about Sue Hendrickson at: is partially based on that sap that often trapped insects in creatures on land and sea. www.sue-hendrickson.net people could go up story, combined with the www.fieldmuseum.org/sue/discovery.html But dinosaur hunting is only one its sticky clutches. Sue dives for and touch it.” true history of some real life of Sue’s passions. She is also an conchs and studies the rare pearls www.imaginationcelebration.org archaeological explorer under the found in them. She is a modern www.wingsworldquest.org sea. Her diving adventures have day explorer looking where she http://www.franckgoddio.org/ Ginger Head, Director Milbry Polk, Director http://www.hiltifoundation.org taken her around the world from must for answers to ancient mys- Interview with Sue Hendrickson You have been an “I have learned to begin each day. explorer all your It probably took a couple of seasons for them to accept with- life. What have lose the fear of out question that I could accomplish as much, or more than all the you learned? taking that first step. team. Each of us has talents. We have to find them so they can be optimized in each project. Hendrickson: Tolerance, Adaptability, That fear is what Tell us about your most famous discovery, Courage, Self reliance, stops most people Tyrannosaurus Sue. This dinosaur is now Confidence and the impor- at the Field Museum in Chicago and tance of Freedom—having the from moving forward drawing record crowds. freedom to make good choices and learning to do some scouting on a neighboring ranch the second to the when opportunities appear. Hendrickson: Finding Sue was awesome. I still don’t believe last day of our season (we were finishing excavating a tricer- Throughout my life I have new things.” that I found such a great T rex. People say I have a knack for find- atops skull). We woke up at the campsite and found we had a always been on the lookout ing things and I do. I just open my eyes and look around and see flat tire on the truck. I was so pleased as the rest of the team for something new and inter- what is there. In addition to being an underwater archaeological went to the nearest town to fix the tire. My dog Gypsy and I gets easier. But once you have esting to learn about. I have excavation diver, I am a field paleontologist. Every summer I go to had most of the day to finally go look at one small exposure of made the move towards the always had a goal even though the Badlands in the Dakotas and Wyoming to look for dinosaurs. I the Badlands that had been ‘calling’ me for two weeks. …but I unknown, the momentum builds I sometimes switch directions don’t even pitch a tent. It is much easier sleeping outside looking hadn’t had time to go see until the flat tire. It was a window of and it is fantastic. Once you start in the middle of a project. at the stars!!! In the summer of 1990 I was volunteering for the opportunity! Usually I just find scraps of bones. But I looked up down the path, the thrill or the That is what I mean by adapt- Black Hills Institute. We had excavated duckbill dinosaur bones for and just saw her in the rocks. It was awesome. Once I found interest of the excitement is so worth it, that you never go back! ability, the ability to recognize an opportunity and seize it. six weeks. And finally I had time towards the end of the summer her I turned her over to the Institute. We excavated her, Many people don’t realize an opportunity is there, or if they What was the most difficult thing do, they hesitate and miss it. you have done? Uncovering fossils, I have learned to lose the fear of taking that first step. minerals and astro- Finding the world’s Museum exhibitions labes in Morocco That fear is what stops most people from moving forward and Hendrickson: The most difficult things I’ve done have been on largest Trex in the in Europe Badlands of South Dakota learning new things. For me that fear never goes away, it just dives. Some were quite dangerous, but always well thought out and under control. They were dangerous in that there was zero toler- “People say I ance for error. But you grow used to these ‘calculated risks’ and Diving in the Digging for Caribbean in search make your own decisions whether to accept them or not. It all of conch pearls have a knack ancient amber Helping with museum depends on your self confidence and the calmness with the in Mexico exhibitions on whales, dinosaurs, T rex SUE for finding upcoming effort. Only panic can truly kill you. Living on an island Searching for and pearls in Japan off with amber in the things and I her dogs Dominican Republic Have you ever felt you had to prove Searching for yourself on expeditions? Spanish wrecks off Diving for Chinese do. I just open the Cuban coast shipwrecks in the Diving Alexandria Philippines Hendrickson: Well, I have had to prove that I have the skills Excavating fossil and Abu Qir for my eyes and whales in Peru and abilities. For example, when I began working with a French sunken cities look around archaeological diving group, I was starting from scratch, even Sue’s World and see what though I had years of diving experience. I had to prove myself all over again to them. I had to do everything better and longer and is there.” harder. But that project was so incredible that I could not wait to