Ted: I got interested in archaeology as a kid by occasionally going arrowhead hunting, but mostly reading from books and pictures my Aunt Dorothy gave me. She was a teacher for the U.S. Navy and taught in many places around the world. She always brought me stuff to read from ancient civilizations. During my freshman year at Adams State College, I took an archaeology class from Dr. Herb Dick and my interest in archaeology took off. In my job, I study all kinds of things from prehistoric American Indian sites that are 12,000 years old to historic sites that are barely 50 years old. All of it is fascinating to me and I don't really have a favorite period or era. My favorite thing about research is just trying to use the small things that have been left behind and trying to reconstruct the cultures of the people of the past. This is very difficult to do, but I can really use my imagination.
Dani: I traveled around the world as an army brat and was interested in all
of the cultures of the countries where we lived, from Bavaria to Bangkok. I
have always kept that curiosity in my world. I fell in love with world history
when I was in jr. high school. When I went to college I took an anthropology
class which deepened my interest in the past. As an undergraduate, I studied
History and Political Science. After graduating from college and working a few
years, I decided to become a social studies teacher. My work in archaeology
began when I designed an archaeology class for gifted students. The class is
a mentor partnership in which students work with archaeologists on actual projects.
I love learning about the past through archaeology and then being able to share
what I have learned with the kids I teach.