| Former professor, wife team honored |
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| Written by Ben Eveloff |
| Wednesday, 28 January 2004 18:00 |
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The Society for Historical Archaeology has honored a former emeritus professor and his wife with a fund to send students to their annual meetings. Edward Jelks and his wife Judy were mentors to students while Jelks was a professor in ISU's sociology and anthropology department, former student and Director of the Dixon Mound Museum Michael Wiant said. The honor was approved by the society at their last meeting, a month ago in St. Louis, Mo., Edward Jelks said. Wiant, who served as head of getting the fund for Edward Jelks and Judy Jelks, said he wanted to set up an award in their name to thank them for contributions to their students. "Dr. Jelks came to ISU the same year I came for my undergraduate," Wiant said. "When I continued on with graduate school, he was a teacher, mentor and a friend." "I personally owe Ed and Judy for all they have done," he added. Edward Jelks said when he was a professor he would go to meetings and bring students so they could meet an archeologist emeritus professor. Many of the archeologist at the meetings were the same people who wrote the students' textbooks, Edward Jelks added. Also, many of the students who went with the meetings became professional archeologist, he said. Judy Jelks is also honored for the award because of the work she did with the students although she is not a professional archeologist, Edward Jelks added. "She was always in the field working with the students," Edward Jelks said. "The goal [of the fund] is to have an endowment fund for more students to go in the future," he said. The award will be titled the "Edward and Juliet Jelks Student Travel Award," and will be given to ISU students based on the criteria set by the award committee, Wiant said. A committee was established to decide which students will be able to go, Edward Jelks said. "We are now in the steps of raising money and the committee will be establishing the criteria for selecting students," Wiant said. Possible criteria for the award could include students who are preparing professional papers, he added. The Society for Historical Archeology is one of the largest archeology societies and their meetings are once a year, Edward Jelks said. The society's next meeting will be next year in York, England, Edward Jelks said. The location of the meetings and the amount of money raised will decide how many students can go, Edward Jelks said. This year the fund will be able to send two people to the next meeting in England, he said. |
