The El Dorado Promise

I don't know how much of the "outside world" has heard about this, but The El Dorado (pronounced "El Door-ay-doe" in southwest Arkansas) Promise is an icreadible scholarship program available to students who granduate in El Dorado, Arkansas. Murphy Oil Corporation created the Promise to give El Dorado students an additional opportunity to pursue higher education.

The Promise provides graduates of El Dorado High School a tuition scholarship that can be used at any accredited Arkansas public university or community college, or any accredited private or out-of-state university...that's right ANY college or university...its not needs-based or anything...

Check it out at: http://www.eldoradopromise.com/

Long Time Gone...

Wow....I am truly sorry that I have been so remiss in my posting, but the spring semester has really knocked me off of my feet. My first semester as AAS-SAU Research Station archaeologist was very busy, but I managed to keep all of the balls juggled in the air...and I had a good time doing it.

The Spring semester is a different story, however...The addition of my 2 classes (General Anthropology and Anthropology of North American Indians) has swamped me as I did not cut back my outreach and research efforts. I have: closed on my house, gone to the SHAs in Williamsburg, VA, taught the archeology merit badge class at a Boy Scout Wintercamp at Camp DeSoto south of El Dorado (see photo above by Anthony Clay Newton), I have visited two CRM excavations in my station territory, I am helping to organize the upcoming Caddo Conference in Magnolia...I will be giving a program to the Kadohadacho Chapter of the AAS (Feb 13), an a program at Historic Washington State Park (Mar 6)...I have helped conduct geophysical surveys on a mound group in Northern Louisiana and I have helped map an Archaic site near Hot Springs...I am mapping 4 African-American cemeteries in my area...I will be documenting another cemetery and a well at Historic Washington State Park this month...and I have a journal article, a book chapter and an peer review for a regional journal all with deadlines this month.....Arrrgghhhh!

I LOVE teaching and would not stop if I had the chance...but I've learned a valuable lesson about "seasonal" outreach at the AAS-SAU Station...you live you learn.

I'll endeavor to post a little more regularly as we go through the spring...