The Executive Committee of the Louisiana Archaeological Society met Saturday, July 20, 2002, in Clarence, Louisiana. President Joe Saunders called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.

Members present were

Joe Saunders - LAS President
John Polk - LAS Vice President/President Elect, Delta Chapter Representative
Maureen Downey - LAS Secretary
Chip McGimsey - LAS Bulletin Managing Editor
John Doughty, Jr. - LAS Web Master
Margarette Cherie - CLAC Representative
Nancy Affeltranger - President, Central LA Archaeological Chapter
Jeff Girard
Lena Polk

Prior to the meeting, Jeff Girard conducted a tour of the Fredericks Site and gave a very interesting update on the work at the site.

Minutes: There being no corrections or additions to the minutes of the April 20, 2002, meeting of the Executive Committee, Chip McGimsey motioned that the minutes be approved. John Polk seconded the motion, which was then passed by the Committee.

REPORTS

Membership: John Polk presented a proposal to help increase membership by involving parish schools. President Saunders will distribute John's plan to all the Executive Committee members for their review. John will then, in the upcoming newsletter, submit his proposal to the general membership, explain his ideas, and call for volunteers to help in the execution of his plan. John also asked about updating the LAS brochure to reflect the increase in membership dues. This will be checked into by Maureen Downey.

Newsletter Report: Newsletter Editor Cherie Schwab submitted a written report. In that report, she announced that the Newsletter would be going out at the end of August and asked anyone with submissions to please send them in by August 24. She asked for submissions for the next newsletter. She also requested that members send their e-mail addresses so she can add them to the LAS list. John Polk made a motion to accept the Newsletter report. Nancy Affeltranger seconded the motion, which was then passed unanimously by the Committee.

Web Page Report: Junior Doughty reported that the web page was averaging 11 visits a day. He also reported that Barnes & Nobles book sales totaled $264.65 of which the LAS will receive 5%. He stated that in a couple of weeks you will be able to type in Louisiana Archaeology in a search engine and be sent directly to the LAS site. Junior recommended that the LAS enable credit card payments for membership and purchasing of publications on the web site. He will outline the specifies which will be circulated to the Executive Committee members. The Committee will make a decision on this recommendation at its next meeting. Junior would like to place the contents of the special publications on the web site. The Committee discussed the pros and cons of doing so. President Saunders will contact all members of the Executive Committee regarding their opinion.

Unfinished Business

Awards: Chip McGimsey will inquire into the design of the plaque for the Ford Award. He will also obtain further information for the proposed Saucier Award which he will present to the Committee at the next meeting. The Committee will then make a decision on whether to initiate the award and when to do so.

Best Student Paper: At the last Executive Committee meeting it was decided that the competition for the best paper would be judged by three LAS members present at the Annual Meeting. Two of the judges will be an avocational member and a professional member. A motion was made by John Polk, seconded by Chip McGimsey, that the third judge is a teacher. This motion was passed by the Committee. Nancy Affeltranger motioned that an outline must be submitted. No second. Discussion was held concerning the best method to announce the award. Several suggestions were made but no decision made.

Annual Meeting Packet: Bettie Pendley and John Polk have worked on guidelines for the Annual Meetings. John presented their "Suggestions for Organizing a LAS Meeting" to the Committee. President Saunders will distribute them to the entire Executive Committee for their consideration. He thanked John and Bettie for their hard work.

New Business

Request for Funding: Anthony Ortmann submitted a request for funding to run radiocarbon dates from Poverty Point. The Committee decided that it did not have enough information to make a decision. Joe Saunders will investigate further and then resubmit the proposal to the Executive Committee for their approval.

The Division of Archaeology has requested a donation for Archaeology Week. The LAS has donated $200.00 for postage in past years. President Saunders will contact Committee members for approval of a $200.00 donation.

Louisiana Book Festival: Cherie Schwab sent the Committee a copy of a letter received from the Louisiana Center for the Book. They, in cooperation with the State Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana Library Foundation, will present the first annual Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, November 2, 2002, in Baton Rouge. The LAS has been invited to participate. The Committee voted to accept the invitation. Cherie has volunteered to make the arrangements.

The next Executive Committee meeting will be held in October in Lafayette. President Saunders will announce the exact date. Chip McGimsey will conduct a tour of Bayou Portage Guidry, a late Coles Creek/Plaquemine mound group and village site, ca. 1200-1400 A.D. All members are invited to join the tour.

There being no further business, a motion was made by Chip McGimsey, and seconded by Maureen Downey, to adjourned the meeting. President Joe Saunders adjourned the meeting at 2:20 p.m.