Adventures in Archaeology: A Symposium in Honor of Wm. Jerald Kennedy

For over three decades Wm. Jerald Kennedy mentored undergraduate and graduate students at Florida Atlantic University. Students interested in archaeology at the growing Boca Raton campus were welcomed by Jerry’s affable nature and inquisitive personality. He mastered the art of connecting students with the right projects and field opportunities, often providing subtle direction, sometimes in ways that those students only understood years or decades later. Jerry received his Ph.D from Tulane in 1968, based on pioneering research conducted in Costa Rica, but his work over the next forty years reached from Central America to Florida, and from Ireland to Ecuador. He frequently deployed science and technology applications in archaeology, and pioneered the use of GIS in Florida field surveys, along with proton magnetometer remote sensing, PIXE analysis, thin-sectioning, and more. Jerry’s work was always student-centered and he encouraged us to follow our interests and passions. Through his example, we learned public archaeology and the value of community-based research. This symposium brings together some of Jerry’s colleagues and students who share their research in tribute to their mentor and friend. Jerry was named Professor Emeritus in 2003.