Yes, it is coming back to me, its coming back to me more after seeing 
the 1979 Nashville Program. I now remember:

SHA 1979

My most vivid memory was of Mel Thurman violently attacking the 
conference organizers at the Business Meeting because the conference 
was not perfect in all details. The conference chair started to stand 
up to defend himself when his colleagues wisely stopped him because 
they knew there was no defence when Thurman was in his attack mode. 
Perhaps one missing element were the Abstracts of papers and 
sessions. Does anyone know for sure?

I also remember there was a rotating restaurant on top of the Hyatt 
Regency Hotel (or some building). It was the first time I was in such 
a structure and there were great views. You could see so far that it 
was even possible we could see into civilized states like, say, Ohio. 
I am not sure if the staff were paid employees or slaves. Remember, 
this meeting was a long time ago.

Yes, Deetz actually showed up for this one unlike the meeting which 
he was suppose to preside over as the SHA President. He forgot to 
come to that one!

Symposium:

I do recall being very pleased that I was the last discussant because 
I had some brilliant, insightful concluding remarks. Unfortunately I 
can not remember one of them. Am looking for notes or a copy of the 
remarks if I wrote them out before the meeting.

Did anyone make a tape recording of the session? Probably not.

The Star Wars Session was very successful and a lot of fun. But the 
details . . . . . . After attending over 40 SHA meetings they all 
start to merge in ones memory.

Bob Schuyler


At 10:30 PM 12/3/2008, you wrote:
>The March 1979 SHA Newsletter reproduced essentially the same information,
>with slightly less detail.  No discussion or commentary on the conference.
>
>My program and abstracts for this conference are missing from an otherwise
>complete set of conference programs dating from 1975 onwards.  Spooky?
>
>  I recall the Star Wars session in great detail though I admit I had
>completely forgotten, indeed erased the memory, that certain individuals had
>commented on the South & Deetz 1977 books.  No one can accuse me of 20/20
>hindsight.
>
>I always wished Jim Deetz had published more on his brilliant notion of
>developing a formula for assessing levels of domestic strife on the basis of
>sherd breakage.  (Grin.)
>
>mcb
>
>On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 10:11 PM, Robert L. Schuyler
><[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
> > Dan:
> >
> > I am sending my initial findings via HISTARCH because perhaps someone on
> > the list (Rick Sprague ?) can help with a problem I have encountered.
> >
> > The "Star Wars" Session was indeed in 1979 and I have that Program (PROGRAM
> > SHA CUA January 2-6, 1979 Nashville) which on page 4 (unnumbered) reads:
> >
> > WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, January 3
> >
> > 1:00 Official welcome (Regency Ballroom) -
> >        Herbert Harper and George Fielder
> >
> > SHA SESSION 4: STAR WARS 79: Will the Pole Arm of Historical Archaeology Be
> > Fashioned from Nomothetic Metal or the Dream Dust of Structuralism: Being a
> > Review of the Recent Work of James Deetz and Stanley South (Organized by
> > G.P. Moran), Regency Ballroom
> >
> > 1:10    Introduction - Geoffrey P. Moran
> >
> > 1:20    "Sate of the Art/Science" - James Deetz
> >
> > 1:40    "Start of the Art/Science" - Stanley South
> >
> > 2:20    Review of "In Small Things Forgotten and Method and Theory" - W.H.
> > Adams
> >
> > 2:40    R. Dickens
> >
> > 3:00    COFFEE BREAK
> >
> > 3:20    W. Kelso
> >
> > 3:40    M. Leone
> >
> > 4:00    C. Redman
> >
> > 4:20    R. Schuyler
> >
> > 4:40    Cross-Examination and Rejoinders
> >
> > 
> *********************************************************************************
> >
> > The problem is that I can not find the 1979 Abstracts for the meeting. Does
> > anyone on the list have the Abstracts (papers)? Were there Abstracts given
> > out that year? Of course the discussants may not have had formal papers. I
> > am checking my own records on that question.
> >
> > Bob Schuyler
> >
> >
> >
> > At 10:26 AM 12/3/2008, you wrote:
> >
> >> Dear Colleagues,
> >> I'm keen, in a paper I'm writing, to discuss the so-called 'Star Wars'
> >> session/debate at the
> >> SHAs circa 1978, which included contributions from Jim Deetz and Stan
> >> South (among
> >> others).
> >>
> >> As there is little or nothing published on the session, I'd be very
> >> grateful if anyone who
> >> was there could send their memories of the session to me by email (or
> >> indeed, anyone
> >> who wasn't there, but has opinions about its significance or content).
> >>
> >> Any references to descriptions/discussions of the session in print also
> >> gratefully received!
> >>
> >> Many thanks in advance for your assistance and guidance with this,
> >>
> >> Dan Hicks
> >> ........................................
> >> Dr Dan Hicks MIFA, FSA
> >> University Lecturer & Curator in Archaeology
> >> School of Archaeology/Pitt Rivers Museum
> >> University of Oxford
> >> email: [log in to unmask]
> >>
> >
>
>
>--
>Mary C. Beaudry, PhD, RPA, FSA
>Professor of Archaeology & Anthropology
>Department of Archaeology
>Boston University
>675 Commonwealth Avenue
>Boston, MA 02215-1406
>tel. 617-358-1650
>
>people.bu.edu/beaudry/Mary_Beaudrys_Research/Welcome.html