[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Do you shop on Amazon.com? Click the banner below to support ASOR while you shop! For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to ASOR.
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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]About twenty years ago, ASOR split off from SBL and began holding our Annual Meeting separately, yet in the same locale and at the same basic time. This has been quite popular and successful. In that time, our meetings have grown and expanded both numerically and in the number of sessions. As a result ASOR’s meetings now overlap with those of AAR/SBL on Saturdays. This overlap, coupled with the huge size of the AAR/SBL meetings, have caused hotel and meeting space in many venues to be unavailable for ASOR’s meetings on Saturdays, and we have needed to find accommodations further away from the SBL hub. Therefore, this November we are meeting at our usual time, but 19 miles outside of San Antonio.
In future years, ASOR will often, but not always, find itself on the “outside.” ASOR needs to reevaluate these circumstances and make a decision regarding this situation. You may recall that we had similar discussions in the 1990s and 2007. There are several options open to us – but meeting close to SBL on Saturday every November is not one of them. The key issues are meeting days and/or time of the year, meeting venues, and meeting “partner/s” – if any.
To help resolve this issue an Ad Hoc Annual Meeting Committee has been established. This group is tasked with evaluating the situation in light of membership needs and desires and then bringing recommendations to the Board.
In the coming month, the Committee will disseminate a membership survey regarding the Annual Meeting, specifically asking about your interests and needs as well as your evaluation of the 2015 Meeting in Atlanta – where we were some distance from SBL (but connected by MARTA). Later, we will also receive input at and regarding the San Antonio Meeting. Please take the time to respond to this survey – the Annual Meeting is perhaps the most central aspect of ASOR for many of us and its future is very important.
If you have questions or initial comments regarding this, you may contact the Chair of the Committee, Gary Arbino, at asormeet@bu.edu. Additionally, in the coming days you may be asked to participate on the Committee – please consider such an invitation as a token of respect and as an indication that you represent a segment of our membership whose input we want on the “ground floor,” and strongly consider joining our cadre.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/AMUpdate.png” image_width=”700″ image_height=”234″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][vc_column_text]We hope you had a wonderful summer! The new academic year is starting and ASOR will be here before we know it. With a breathtaking venue, a record number of abstract submissions, and a variety of new member-organized sessions and workshops, there is a lot to look forward to. Please make sure to check the Annual Meeting schedule page for meeting highlights and the complete academic schedule which will be added soon. Hotel Update: Online reservations are no longer being accepted, but we are still accommodating reservation requests (please email us). La Cantera Resort and Spa has sold out of rooms in ASOR’s block ($159+), however, we are monitoring the block closely and moving quickly through a wait-list. Please email Arlene Press at asormtgs@bu.edu if you would like to be added to the waitlist, and be sure to include the nights that you need a room and your room preference (king or double). Typically we are able to accommodate everyone who is on the wait-list.
Room-sharing: Do you need a reservation and would like to share a room with someone to mitigate the costs? Do you have a reservation at La Cantera Resort and Spa for a double room that you are willing to share? Please email Arlene Press at asormtgs@bu.edu to let us know if you have a reservation or need a reservation and what nights you are staying at the hotel. We will do our best to identify a potential roommate.
Visit the ASOR Hotel page for more information, including hotel perks, parking information, and San Antonio highlights.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Important Deadlines
September 11: Super Saver Annual Meeting Registration rate ends
September 15: Deadline to submit a nomination for a 2016 ASOR Book Award
September 30: Deadline to submit a nomination for a 2016 Member (non-book) Award.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]ASOR’s Board Nominations Committee is seeking names of people who are willing to be considered for nomination to the ASOR Board of Trustees (Class of 2019). The committee seeks individuals who are willing to consider service as either Individual Trustees or as Institutional Representative Trustees. We anticipate two openings for three-year terms (2017-2019) in each category. Any full ASOR member may be considered for nomination as an Individual Trustee, while only institutional representatives of ASOR Member Schools may be considered for nomination as an Institutional Representative Trustee.
The ASOR Board of Trustees sets the direction for ASOR and provides oversight for our organization. We encourage you to consider serving on the board, or to share names of people who you think would be a good fit. Among other responsibilities, members of the Board agree to attend two meetings each year at their own expense, to participate thoughtfully in the governance process, and to contribute financially to ASOR. At this stage, nominations may by made simply by sending the person’s name and email address to Britta Abeln in the ASOR office. Questions about service on the ASOR board or about the selection process may be addressed to Larry Geraty, chair of the nominations committee. Self-nominations are encouraged. The ASOR office will contact all nominees to describe the responsibilities in greater detail, and to make sure that the nominee is willing to have his or her name discussed by the Board Nominations Committee.
After the Committee selects individuals for nomination, the election will take place by electronic ballot during late September and October. ASOR is once again conducting online voting to ensure that more of our members are able to participate in this important process. The ASOR office will work with any person who is not able to complete an electronic ballot to make sure that everyone is included.
The Board Nominations Committee consists of Larry Geraty (chair), Rachel Hallote, and Ann-Marie Knoblauch. In order to receive full consideration by the committee, nominations must be submitted to asor@bu.edu by September 1, 2016.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
HELPING SYRIANS PROTECT & PRESERVE CULTURAL RIGHTS
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI) strives to help Syrians and Iraqis in preserving and protecting cultural rights, particularly rights linked to access to tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Cultural heritage sites have come under increasing assault over the last five years across the Middle East and North Africa; In order to safeguard this heritage and these sites, ASOR CHI implements cultural property protection in Syria and Iraq by: (1) documenting damage; (2) promoting global awareness; (3) conducting emergency response projects and developing post-war reconstruction plans.
Due to the high level of instability caused by the conflict in Syria and ISIL-controlled areas of northern Iraq, much of our work over the past 23 months has focused on documenting damage and destruction rather than the hopeful work of restoration. However, in the past nine months, we have been able to focus some of our efforts on restoration work that empowers Syrians and allows them to have access to (and control) their own cultural heritage In this essay, ASOR CHI will share promising results from work that has been carried out in southern Syria at Bosra al Sham (ancient Bosra). In the coming weeks, we will present essays about work in northern Syrian and parts of Iraq.
The ancient city of Bosra is located in southern Syria and is home to a very well preserved Roman theater, dated from the 2nd century CE, and a number of structures of the Byzantine, Islamic, and Nabatean eras. In addition, extensive ruins of the fortifications, built between 481 and 1251 CE, remain. The city is also home to the Al-Omari Mosque and many other Islamic buildings and ruins. Bosra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bosra-theater.jpg” image_height=”275″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
The Challenge: Damage to the Ancient City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Unfortunately, the ancient city has experienced significant damage from the war in Syria at the hands of both the Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) and opposition forces (see this link for “Bosra” in the index of the ASOR CHI Weekly reports). While the damage and destruction has been extensive over the last five years, there have been some encouraging signs of hope in recent months.
The capture of Bosra al Sham in March 2015 by Syrian Opposition forces ended the payment of salaries to the employees of the Bosra al Sham Antiquities Department. The ancient city, the collections, and the museum lay in ruins. Yet, the Antiquities Department’s skilled heritage professionals still wanted to protect and preserve Bosra al Sham. However, they lacked the means—they had neither the equipment nor salaries to sustain their efforts. At that point, Humanitarian Research Services (HRS), a non-profit group conducting relief work in the region, alerted ASOR CHI to the possibility of providing bridge funding to the Bosra al Sham Antiquities Department (BSAD). In November 2015, ASOR CHI engaged HRS to partner with local Syrians on mitigation and restoration projects. The summary below describes the completed work and provides an example of what might be done in the future if we can raise additional funds.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bosra-ayyubid-citadel-damage.jpg” image_width=”600″ image_height=”300″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Ayyubid citadel damage in Bosra
[/vc_column_text][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Damage to the ancient city and museum caused by combat and looting:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32056,32055,32054,32053″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Step One: Purchasing New Equipment, Emergency Collections Assessment, and Placing Artifacts in Secure Storage
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]The war in Syria left the Antiquities Department without basic equipment or supplies, and they often have had to work without electricity. Fortunately, ASOR CHI’s cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State includes funding for several mitigation grants of $5,000 each. The State Department approved a grant to carry out emergency response projects at Bosra al Sham, and HRS acted as an implementing partner. After purchasing a generator, office equipment, computers, and digital cameras, the BSAD team performed emergency collections assessments and site assessments and began rehousing the remaining museum and archaeological storehouse collections. The funding not only provided support for BSAD staff, but also paid wage labor for local carpenters, masons, and other craftspeople.
Because the project takes place in a complex and dangerous war-zone environment, and ASOR CHI can only remotely monitor progress, HRS undertook steps to ensure safety and adherence to best practices through joint planning, monitoring, and evaluation with BSAD. In doing so, HRS developed a close relationship with management staff in Bosra al Sham. HRS has regularly acted as the intermediary for ASOR CHI and BSAD, translating relevant documents and invoices, processing financial transfers, and ensuring accurate record keeping. This relationship has ensured cost effectiveness and thorough financial documentation. The following is a list of the basic equipment that the funding allowed BSAD to acquire:
Two Dell laptop computers
Two Sony digital cameras with memory cards
An office desk, printer, and scanner
Two external hard drives
A generator and fuel
[/vc_column_text][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]New equipment for BSAD. Team members assess damage:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32063,32064,32065,32066″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Museum storerooms are assessed and inventoried; the collections are then photographed and packed for relocation in secure storage:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32067,32068,32069,32070,32071,32072″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Step Two: Inventories, Assessments, Documentation, and Cleaning
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]As the photos below illustrate, the BSAD staff achieved exemplary results in the face of extreme adversity. Indeed, these dedicated heritage professionals continued to carry out emergency response projects beyond the period supported by the initial bridge funding from the Department of State, as ASOR CHI received a separate grant from a private foundation that supported an additional three months of work. The additional funding allowed the employees to catalogue and safely store the museum’s remaining collections — severely damaged and looted during clashes between SARG and Opposition force — and to complete more thorough site condition assessments. Finally, the team oversaw the removal of military explosives from the site by demolition experts and facilitated cleanup efforts, drawing on local labor.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Local carpenters construct sturdy crates to protect objects in secure storage:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32073,32074,32075,32076″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]A team assesses conditions in the ancient city and begins cleaning around the structures:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32077,32078,32079,32080″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Continuing Work: Repairing the Ancient City and the Museum
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]One of the reasons that this story is encouraging is that the citizens of Bosra al Sham have been involved in the restoration projects and the preservation of Syria’s rich cultural diversity and in ensuring the fundamental human right of access to cultural heritage. The photos below show the restoration of important historic mosques and the museum. The Roman-period theater was cleaned and repaired. The structure has returned to being an important focal point for local community activities. The last photo below shows the culmination of this work — following the cleaning and restoration projects, the residents of Bosra al Sham held the First Annual Cell Phone Film Festival in the theatre. The event symbolizes renewed and growing cultural life in the city and is a hopeful sign for the future.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Undertaking restoration projects in the ancient city. Masons erect scaffolding to repair a damaged structure, preventing further deterioration:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32082,32083,32084,32085″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]The Roman theater during and after cleaning:[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”32086,32087″ image_size=”full” column=”2″ hover_scenarios=”gradient” enable_title=”false” height=”300″ item_id=”1504315536-59aa08906a98f”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]After the restoration work was completed in the Roman theater, the community gathered to hold the First Annual Cell Phone Film Festival. This is a hopeful sign for preserving and protecting cultural rights:[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bosra-conclusion-local-involvement.png” image_width=”600″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” margin_top=”2″][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Next Stage: Your Help is Needed to Continue this Important Work
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]ASOR is very pleased with the work that has been completed to date. As Irina Bokova, the secretary general of UNESCO, observed in her plenary remarks at a June conference in Berlin: Syria’s cultural heritage is indivisible. Amr al Azm, a co-investigator for ASOR CHI, gave one of the concluding addresses at that conference and expanded upon Bokova’s observation. He pointed out that Syrian cultural heritage brings together factions and fighting ethnic groups. Cultural heritage can be a unifying force in peace-making and community cohesion.
While the ASOR community is heartened by the progress that has been made, we are looking for ways to continue these critical and important efforts. We need to raise $30,000 for an additional six months of funding for the Bosra al Sham Antiquities Department. We hope that you will consider supporting this project’s transformative objectives and the preservation and protection of universal cultural rights.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]
Other ways you can donate:
Donate by Phone
Call ASOR at 857-277-1174
Donate by Mail
Send a check to:
ASOR
P. O. Box 15729
Boston, MA 02215
Make a Pledge (Donate Later)
Send an e-mail to ASOR[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The passing of George Landes on April 7, 2016, has opened a whole range of memories and nostalgia among those who worked with him, respected him, and grew fond of him through his fruitful career with ASOR and as a seminary professor of biblical exegesis. George was part of the flock of graduates from McCormick Theological Seminary, students during the era of Ovid “Sandy’ Sellers, G. Ernest Wright, and Frank M. Cross. That meant falling under the spell of W. F. Albright. He was enthralled with Old Testament studies at the time when it was appropriately enwrapped with historical, philological, and archaeological trajectories. McCormick, like other seminaries, was something like a “Triple-A” farm club; Orval Wintermute, Gus van Beek, George and then a stream of Sinclairs, Bolings, Campbells, Renn (Nancy Lapp), Huffmons and more took the Chicago tunnel to Baltimore. All of them stayed committed to the pertinence of Ancient Near Eastern studies to biblical interpretation — one of the streams that flows through ASOR’s circulation system to this day.
George Landes was from Missouri, armed with a Phi Beta Kappa philosophy degree from the University of Missouri. So was Carol, his beloved wife of 62+ years. He came to McCormick and fell in love with the OT, took the prize there in OT studies that projected him to Johns Hopkins (B.D in 1952; PhD in 1956) and became professor across 1956 to 1995 at Union Seminary in New York. He remained a Hebrew and Exegesis teacher throughout his life. And he stayed close to his commitment to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on through retirement, where fine exegesis and interpretation were hallmarks. An important tool in this connection was a presentation of Hebrew vocabulary that is still used widely, a frequency catalogue of Hebrew roots and derivatives which has had a second and even more useful appearance as “Building Your Hebrew Vocabulary: Learning Words by Frequency and Cognate.” His focus was on the book of Jonah. He wrote a host of entries in biblical resource volumes; he reviewed publications in over a dozen journals; he was on the translation team of the NRSV.
The combination of all things Albrightian stayed with George. In 1962 when GEW was leading the Joint (nee Drew-McCormick) Expedition to Shechem, George and Carol signed on for the summer season; then George stayed as honorary associate and “Shechem Fellow” that fall. That plunged him into work on Shechem ceramics and also put him on the staff of the Araq el-Emir expedition with Paul Lapp. Then in 1967-8, he and Carol came back to Jerusalem as Annual Professor of ASOR. He led an excavation at Suwannet eth-Thaniya in the Jordan valley, publishing his report in BASOR Supplemental Studies 21 in 1975, part of a volume of which he was editor. He completed his part in the Shechem work that year by exploring sites we had missed on the regional survey conducted in 1964-1968.
There is one never-to-be forgotten role the Landeses played at Shechem. I’ll crib my description of it from my tribute to George in his Festschrift, On the Way to Nineveh (1999): Carol singing the role of Miss Katherine Kanyon to Carl Dresser’s Hartley Evers Wrong in the opera that decorated the season-ending party, a composition by Delbert Hillers. If memory serves George was part of the balk that separated Primus and Thistlebe, two rookies on the dig staff. George, ever cooperative, did his part as a balk with enthusiasm and without fanfare – that was his life-style.
For ASOR, all (!) George did was to serve as Board secretary for 22 years. His reports were clear, fun-loving and precise. George simply fit in where he was needed, and he didn’t seem to crave notice. He made an immense contribution by doing what was called for. Farewell, George; go with God.
by Edward F. Campbell, Jr.
July 3, 2016[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Rev. Dr. George M. Landes, Sr., 87, passed away in Allentown, PA, on Thursday, April 7, 2016. At the time of his death, George Landes was an Honorary Member of ASOR’s Board of Trustees, a position he had held since 1995.
Prior to becoming an Honorary Trustee in 1995, George Landes had served the ASOR Board long and well, in many different capacities. He joined the Board as an Associate Trustee in 1969, and shortly thereafter, in 1971, he became a member of the Amman Committee. Most notably, in 1972, he assumed the office of the Secretary of the Board, a position he held for an astonishing twenty-two years.
George Landes began his work in archaeology in 1962, when he joined the Drew-McCormick expedition to Tel Balata (Shechem). Later, he served as Field Supervisor on the expedition to Araq el-Emir in Jordan. In 1967-68, he was appointed Annual Professor of what is now the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. During that year he was Archaeological Director at Suwanneteth-Thaniya in the Jordan Valley and did site survey work in the area of ancient Shechem.
In addition to works renowned by biblical scholars, A Student’s Vocabulary of Biblical Hebrew (originally published by Scribner’s in 1961) and Building Your Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary (published by the Society of Biblical Literature in 2001), ASOR members will remember George Landes as the editor of BASOR Supplement 21, Report on Archaeological Work at Ṣuwwānet eth-Thanīya, Tananir, and Khirbet Minḥa (Munḥata), published in 1975, and as the recipient of a Festschrift volume in his honor, On the Way to Nineveh, edited by Stephen L. Cook and S. C. Winter and published as ASOR Books 4 in 1999.
ASOR also remembers George Landes as a generous donor, a regular “sponsor” in our annual Honor Roll of Donors.
ASOR extends its deepest sympathies to George’s wife Carol and to all the other members of the Landes family.
To read a remembrance of George Landes written by Ted Campbell, click here.
To read the obituary posted on Legacy.com, click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
In memory of Aldo Tamburrino and Violeta Tavantzis
Aldo Tamburrino
In memory of Silas M. Vaughn
Hershel Shanks
Andy and Amy Vaughn
Catherine S. Vaughn
In memory of Ralph Witham
Lynn Swartz Dodd
In memory of Sharon Zuckerman
Michael Simone
Honorific gifts to named endowment funds made in FY16*
P. E. MacAllister Endowed Scholarship Fund
Alex MacAllister
P. E. MacAllister
Eric and Carol Meyers Endowed Scholarship Fund
Leslie & F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp
Paul Flesher
Sheldon Fox
Eric and Carol Meyers
Laurie E. Pearce
Jacob Wright
J. Edward Wright
Strange / Midkiff Families Endowed Scholarship Fund
Marylinda Govaars
Thomas Longstaff
Daniel Schowalter
Carolyn Midkiff Strange
James F. Strange
Joe D. Seger Excavation Fund
Susan Ackerman
Gary Arbino
Anonymous
Jeffrey Blakely
Oded and Marcia Borowski
Richard and Sonia Coffman
Dan Cole
J. P. Dessell
Peggy Duly
Sheldon Fox
Patty Gerstenblith
Seymour Gitin
James W. Hardin
Timothy P. Harrison
Oystein S. LaBianca
Albert Leonard
P. E. MacAllister
Gerald L. Mattingly
Selma Omerefendic
B. W. Ruffner
Lydie Shufro
John R. Spencer
Michele Stillinger
Olin Storvick
Carolyn Midkiff Strange
James F. Strange
Andy and Amy Vaughn
Daniel S. Wolk
* Please note that this list only contains gifts to these named funds made during Fiscal Year 2016[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
RICHARD L. COFFMAN BEGINS TERM AS ASOR BOARD CHAIR
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]ASOR is pleased to announce that Richard L. Coffman began a three-year term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees on July 1, 2016. The ASOR Board unanimously and enthusiastically elected Coffman to the position at its April 2016 meeting in Washington, D.C. Coffman follows Dr. B. W. Ruffner who served as Board Chair for three years.
Coffman, a native Texan, is a trial lawyer and managing partner of the Coffman Law Firm in Beaumont, Texas. He received his B.A. in Accounting from Texas Lutheran University in 1978, and both his Master in Professional Accountancy (1980) and law degree (1989) from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to attending law school, Coffman, who also is a Certified Public Accountant, worked for two international public accounting firms. He also taught courses in accounting as an adjunct member of the University of Washington and University of Texas business school faculties.
As a trial lawyer, Coffman represents individuals and businesses throughout the United States in complex commercial litigation, class actions and mass actions. His litigation practice is focused in the areas of antitrust, RICO, ERISA, data breach, agriculture, consumer, and other commercial disputes. Coffman is admitted to practice in all Texas courts, the United States Supreme Court, and numerous federal appellate courts and district courts throughout the United States.
Coffman also is active in civic and charitable organizations, most recently serving as Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Board, respectively, of Beaumont Crime Stoppers. While in Houston, he was a charter member of the Westchase Rotary Club, where he served as its first Treasurer, and later was a member of the Downtown Houston Rotary Club, where he served on the Lombardi Trophy Committee for several years.
Coffman was first introduced to ASOR at a joint ASOR/BAS seminar in 2012. A member of the ASOR Board of Trustees since 2013, he served as Treasurer from his election to the Board until he assumed his post as Board Chair. Coffman regularly travels to East Africa—principally South Sudan—on mission trips.
Coffman married his wife and law partner, Sonya, during law school. They have one daughter: Carson.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/poster.png” image_width=”1200″ image_height=”462″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][vc_column_text]UPDATE: ASOR will continue to accept poster abstracts until August 15. A $25 fee applies to abstracts submitted after August 1.
Are you working hard this summer and want to share your research with colleagues and others in the field? The 2016 ASOR Annual Meeting, November 16-19, in San Antonio, TX is the perfect venue! The deadline to submit your abstract for the Projects on Parade Poster Session is August 1.
Posters are an ideal format for presenting archaeological projects, a technical aspect of your project, a spectacular find from the field season, or complex graphic and/or quantitative data (technological devices are not allowed to accompany poster presentations).
Before submitting your abstract, be sure to visit the Projects on Parade Poster Session website and read the Poster Session Guidelines.
Reminder: Don’t forget to register for the 2016 ASOR Annual Meeting and book your hotel room at La Cantera Resort and Spa. The hotel is filling quickly and we will start a waiting list when rooms are no longer available. Please email Arlene Press if you are not able to book a room online.
If you have any questions about the Projects on Parade Poster Session or the Annual Meeting in general, please do not hesitate to email or call, 857-272-2506.
Have a great summer!
The ASOR Team[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Hotel Update: Online reservations are no longer being accepted, but we are still accommodating reservation requests (please 
The passing of George Landes on April 7, 2016, has opened a whole range of memories and nostalgia among those who worked with him, respected him, and grew fond of him through his fruitful career with ASOR and as a seminary professor of biblical exegesis. George was part of the flock of graduates from McCormick Theological Seminary, students during the era of Ovid “Sandy’ Sellers, G. Ernest Wright, and Frank M. Cross. That meant falling under the spell of W. F. Albright. He was enthralled with Old Testament studies at the time when it was appropriately enwrapped with historical, philological, and archaeological trajectories. McCormick, like other seminaries, was something like a “Triple-A” farm club; Orval Wintermute, Gus van Beek, George and then a stream of Sinclairs, Bolings, Campbells, Renn (Nancy Lapp), Huffmons and more took the Chicago tunnel to Baltimore. All of them stayed committed to the pertinence of Ancient Near Eastern studies to biblical interpretation — one of the streams that flows through ASOR’s circulation system to this day.
ASOR is pleased to announce that Richard L. Coffman began a three-year term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees on July 1, 2016. The ASOR Board unanimously and enthusiastically elected Coffman to the position at its April 2016 meeting in Washington, D.C. Coffman follows Dr. B. W. Ruffner who served as Board Chair for three years.