While working as a Research Assistant at the Archeological Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University (TAMU) under the supervision of David L. Carlson, I decided that I wanted to work on my own.  I had very little experience in starting a business, but it was something that I wanted to do.  Choosing a name for my company required lots of thought, and I eventually decided on Brazos Valley Research Associates (BVRA) .  This name was to signify two things.  I planned to stay in Bryan, Texas, and I envisioned utilizing other specialists to justify the “Research Associates” part of my company’s name.  I decided to refer to my reports in a series that I named “Contract Reports.”  I had not seen this particular series before, and I did not want to duplicate other names in use such as “Reports of Investigations.”  In addition to contract reports for clients, I have projects such as Contributions in Archaeology that document my non-paying efforts.

My first job at BVRA was a survey for the proposed McDade Park in Conroe, Texas in 1987.  This project involved shovel testing and pedestrian survey of a nineteen acre tract.  No sites were found in the project area, and the client was allowed to proceed with construction.  The Antiquities Permit issued for the McDade Park project was 639.  Since that time, 29,713 permits have been issued before my most recent permit, number 30,352.  In 1987, the level of technology that archaeologists enjoy today was not available.  Photographs were usually taken with a 35 mm camera.  I used a Pentex K-1000 on the advice of Vaughn M. Bryant and Norman D. Thomas who told me that it was considered a rugged camera at the time and great for fieldwork.  Film had to be sent off for processing, and it was not uncommon for some of the images to be out of focus or otherwise undesirable.  A very common method of including pictures in a report was to paste them onto a piece of paper and make copies with a copy machine.  Good quality black and white images were created by the process of photographing them and making plates.  Color pictures in reports were rare.  Today, we have the luxury of digital cameras and the instant gratification of seeing the results immediately.  When cameras and computers are synced, the images go to the computer instantly.

In the early days of my company, I often was the only person in the field.  I vividly remember trekking through swamps and hiking in the heat of summer while carrying everything I needed such as a backpack, camera, measuring tapes, extra film, pens and pencils, water, shovel, screen, medical kit for minor emergencies, and map of the project area.  There were no cell phones, and all calls were made from the nearest pay phone.

I was very fortunate to be able to be hired for my second job.  In 1992, Frank Weir was the head archaeologist at the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation in Austin (now Texas Department of Transportation).   Staff Archaeologist Joe Denton had supervised testing at site 41YN9 in Young County, but he left the department without writing a report.  Weir wanted the work to be published, and he hired me to make sense of the field notes and artifacts for a report in the department’s “Publications in Archaeology” series.  This was a major effort that took over eight months of cataloging, sorting, and writing.  The notes and maps were poorly done, and I estimated that at least one-third of my time was spent trying to accurately depict what happened in the field.  The floors of my house were literally covered with bags of artifacts, and there were maps taped to the walls.  At one point, Frank Weir considered abandoning the project. However, Milton Bell suggested that we compare the maps to the 35 mm slides, and that allowed us to better discuss the locations of test units and describe the landscape.  Although this was a frustrating job, it provided me with valuable experience in learning how to manage large sets of data for a project that I had not participated in.  My report was entitled Archaeological Investigations at the Connor Creek Site (41YN9), Young County, Texas.  It was report number 40 and the last one in the Highway Department’s “Publications in Archaeology” series.

My business progressed very slowly at first, and there were times when I only had one or two jobs in one year. Eventually, my business grew to the point where I accrued regular clients. In addition to conducting work awarded to BVRA, I also assisted other firms such as Moore Archeological Consulting (Roger G. Moore, CRD), Archaeology Consultants (James E. Warren, CRD), Dixie Environmental Service Company (DESCO) in Magnolia, Texas (Tanya Matherne and Gary Kowalski), and American Archaeology Group (Michael R. Bradle).

From the inception of my business to the present, I have been fortunate to have been associated with excellent archaeologists such as Edward P. Baxter, Lorrain Heartfield, Roger G. Moore, G. R. Dennis Price, Jesse Todd, and James E. Warren. Specialists who have contributed to my reports include Shawn Bonath Carlson (Historic Archaeologist), William A. Dickens (Lithics Analyst), Timothy K. Perttula and Linda Wootan Ellis (Ceramics Analysts), Charles Frederick and Lee Nordt (Geoarchaeologists), Lili G. Lyddon (professional cartographer), David Pettus and Saul Aronow (Geologists).  Support was provided by Carolyn Spock, Doris Olds, Rosario Casarez, Jean Hughes, and Jonathan Jarvis, staff members at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin.  Notable archaeologists who provided advice include Lawrence E. Aten, E. Mott Davis, Jonathan Davis, Thomas R. Hester, Edward B. Jelks, Chris Lintz, Elton Prewitt, Harry J. Shafer, and Dee Ann Story. I have been fortunate to have benefitted from the services of Michele Amason and Rodney Hermes (Computer Specialists).  Personal friends  Jennifer McMillan Brown and Nora Rogers helped in a variety of ways including help in the field, editing, and office tasks.

My most recent project was conducted in October of 2021 and signaled my retirement from contract archaeology.  My time is spent these days organizing my files and conducting research on topics that interest me.  I need to find a home for my library and artifacts that I collected before becoming a professional archaeologist.