Beer, Bologna, and Beaux-Esprits: A Legacy of John R. White

Summary

This paper discusses the public engagement of the late Dr. John R White through stories, observations, and news media. White, who passed away in 2009, had been an archaeologist at Youngstown State University, where he led excavations, gave interviews, and presented the past since 1971. For many residents of the Mahoning Valley, White was a fixture, often teaching archaeology to his students, then later their children, and finally the grandchildren over the course of four decades. Not content to teach only in the classroom, White led excavations from early spring until the late autumn to tell a variety of histories throughout the Mahoning Valley. Additionally, White organized trips to many of the region’s important archaeological sites, such as the earthworks of the Ohio Valley, blast furnaces of Western Pennsylvania, and several international destinations. Moreover, this paper focuses on the many newspaper, radio, and television reports to demonstrate the passion White had for informing the public about the recent and distant past. Finally, this paper discusses the lasting legacy of White’s long-term public engagement.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21440