STATE ARCHEOLOGIST HESTER DAVIS ENDOWS $10,000 INTERNSHIP FOR UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS STUDENTS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Hester A. Davis, state archeologist for 32 years and co-administrator of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, will announce a major gift to the University of Arkansas during an informal open house on May 14 to mark the completion of the new $3.4 million Survey building. To help students who will one day carry on her work, Davis has given $10,000 to endow the Davis Internship in Public Archeology at the University of Arkansas.

This endowment will enable the UA Department of Anthropology to offer an internship each year to a graduate student who plans a career in public archeology.

"Through this paid internship, students will gain valuable work experience in public archeology," said Mary Jo Schneider, chair of anthropology. "It's a wonderful way to recognize Hester and to support students who have the potential to carry on the ambitious program she helped to create."

Schneider said those wishing to honor Davis are encouraged to contribute to the endowment. Donations should be made out to the "U of A Foundation" for the Davis Internship and sent to the Office of Development, 325 Administration Building, U of A, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Interested donors can also contact Clay Edwards, 479-575-7206.

For Davis, archeology is a "hands-on" discipline. "Students need practical experience under supervision before going out into the real world," said Davis. "An internship can provide that opportunity through work with various programs of the Arkansas Archeological Survey." 

Davis, who holds two M.A. degrees, has received honorary doctorates from both Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and Lyon College in Batesville. She and Charles McGimsey, former chair of anthropology and director of the University Museum, became the first administrators of the Survey when it was founded in 1967. She has been with the University of Arkansas since 1959, educating students about the role of public archeologists. She will retire June 30.

"Public archeologists might work for the highway department, the national park service, or private firms," Schneider explained. "Essentially what they do is determine if sites have historical significance. When a new highway like I-540 is to be constructed, officials first call on an expert in public archeology to determine if any sites of historical significance would be destroyed."

During her career, Davis played a key role in helping other state agencies, particularly the Division of State Parks, appreciate and manage the archeological and historic sites that they control. To increase public awareness about the past, she also established relationships with amateur archeologists and collectors statewide.

Because the Survey is an independent unit serving the entire state of Arkansas, its faculty have appointments in host departments throughout the state, and several are stationed in state parks as well. Davis served the U of A and its students for decades by teaching without pay for the UA Department of Anthropology.

As State Archeologist, Davis interpreted relevant laws for government agencies, taught her students how to respond to government requests for information, and participated in countless public outreach programs to educate the public on important sites in Arkansas.

The new Survey building, near Agri Park in Fayetteville, will be formally dedicated this fall. The May 14 open house will allow colleagues and friends to acknowledge Davis's generosity to the University of Arkansas. Thomas Green, Survey director, will host the open house.

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