The Search for Amelia Earhart
An interview with Dr. Tom King
The disappearance of Amelia Earhart,
during her highly publicized attempt to fly around the world, is
one of the most compelling mysteries of the twentieth century. Currently,
four different research teams are hot on the trail of clues that
may lead to an answer to the question of what happened to Amelia
and her navigator, Fred Noonan, on that fateful day, July 2, 1937.
One of the goals of The Archaeology Channel is to
provide reliable information on archaeological subjects of public
interest. We also wish to show that archaeology as a discipline
is relevant and valuable to today's world. It may come as a surprise
to some that archaeology has a key role to play in the resolution
of the Earhart mystery. Indeed it does, and archaeologist Dr. Tom
King is a central figure in the Earhart research effort of The
International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR).
TIGHAR's 2001 archaeological survey and excavations on the Pacific
island of Nikumaroro represent their sixth field expedition to that
locality, where they believe Earhart and Noonan were marooned and
died.
Dr. Richard Pettigrew of The Archaeology Channel interviewed
Dr. King in person at the annual meeting of the Society for American
Archaeology in Denver on March 22, 2002, and then again over the
telephone on March 27. The first segment (Part 1) covers the background
of the Earhart disappearance and the second (Part 2) focuses on
the TIGHAR research effort.
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To hear the
interview, click on the bandwidth for your player below.
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Part 1: The Amelia Earhart Mystery
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Part 2: The TIGHAR Research Effort
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About
Dr. King:
Thomas F. (Tom)
King has worked in archaeology for some forty years. He holds
a PhD from the University of California, Riverside, and did
substantial research in California prehistory in the 1960s and
70s. In the late 1970s he was responsible for establishing the
Micronesian Archaeological Survey, which has sponsored research
in the western Pacific islands of Micronesia, and helped develop
historic preservation programs in the area's island nations.
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Tom King
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Early in his career
he became concerned about the destruction of archaeological
sites, American Indian and Micronesian spiritual places, and
other historic properties, and has spent most of his career
working in cultural resource management,as a Federal government
official, in academic programs, and in the private sector. Today
he works as a private consultant, mediator, writer and editor,
affiliated with the National Preservation Institute. His work
with TIGHAR on the Amelia Earhart project is his recreation.
Besides Amelia
Earhart's Shoes, the account of TIGHAR's work, King
is the author of three textbooks dealing with historic preservation
issues and practice, all published by Altamira Press. King lives
in Silver Spring, Maryland, and travels widely in his teaching
and consulting practice.
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Web links:
The Web links below are selected websites
for exploring this and related subjects. These include sites that
we regard as informative, reliable and enjoyable. Many more websites
on Earhart may be found through the use of Web search engines.
Air
Force doctor finds clues to Earhart mystery (Air Force News)
Amelia Earhart
(AcePilots.com)
Amelia
Earhart (National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)
Amelia Earhart
- biography (Ellen's Place)
Amelia Earhart Birthplace
Museum
Amelia
Earhart Information (Naval Historical Center)
Amelia Earhart:
A Timeline
Amelia
Earhart's Shoes: Is the Mystery Solved? (Altamira Press)
The
Earhart Project (TIGHAR)
Putnam,
Amelia Earhart - 1968 (National Aviation Hall of Fame)
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