Kickoff Fundraiser
April 17, 2021
On April 17th, The Williamson Museum in Georgetown and Olive kicked off the Gault documentary project with a fundraiser at the Gault site. The 125 guests included the Mayor of Florence and other civic and business leaders from nearby Florence and Georgetown, members of the board of the Gault School and The Williamson Museum, and other enthusiastic supporters. We did not let the brief rain showers or chilly temperatures dampen our excitement to tour Gault and check out displays of artifacts.
Gault School of Archaeological Research (GSAR) Executive Director, Dr. Clark Wernecke, announced Mike’s recent Award for Excellence in Archaeological Analysis from the Society for American Archaeology for his six decades of work.
An excerpt from the award: "Collins has championed lithic analysis in all its forms… His major contributions include lithic analyses in North America, South America and Europe … He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on lithic reduction sequences among Clovis and earlier peoples in the Americas. Collins’ commitment to research excellence, along with his noteworthy contributions to service and public engagement, make him an outstanding recipient of this award."
Dr. Bruce Bradley, Dr. Jon Lohse, and Dr. Mike Johnson (from the Cactus Hill site in VA) all attended to honor Mike and share stories. Noted former National Geographic Photographer Ken Garrett charmed the crowd with his stories about meeting Mike and Jon Lohse and photographing them in 1999. And he also took great shots of the event!
GSAR Board Chairman Tim Brown unveiled a new historical marker at the site.
The next day, we interviewed Mike Collins, Bruce Bradley and Mike Johnson for the documentary.
