September 21 – 7:00pm

Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp - Archaeologist, UC Foundation Professor

Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp has been an archaeologist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga since 1980. He is a full-time faculty member in the department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography, and was the recipient of the UT National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award and a UC Foundation Professorship. He also serves as the Director of the Institute of Archaeology, and has generated over a million dollars in contracts and grant research at UTC.

He received his BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology at the University of Florida under the direction of Dr. Charles H. Fairbanks, and like his mentor he has pursued research at both prehistoric and historic sites for his entire career.

His papers, reports and publications include articles on British colonial diets in the Southeast, urban archaeology in Chattanooga, Savannah, and Charleston, industrial archaeology at the Bluff Furnace site, the history of the Citico Mound, and his most recent project was the excavation of a 5600-year-old Middle Archaic campsite on the banks of the Tennessee River. He is an avid long distance runner and biker (road and mountain), and plays bass guitar in two rock bands in Chattanooga.

Dr. Honerkamp will present a program entitled “Creek Or Cherokee at Moccasin Bend: An Archaeological Perspective” in which he will give an overview of the archaeological evidence—or lack thereof—for linking prehistoric remains with historically known Native American groups.

October 19 – 7:00pm

Charles W. Maynard - Author, Storyteller, National Park Friend

Charles W. Maynard is an author, storyteller, and ordained United Methodist minister who is currently serving as the Director of Development for Camp and Retreat Ministries of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. He grew up locally and is a graduate of Chattanooga High School. He has written extensively about national parks, and is the author of 28 books, 21 of which are non-fiction books for children. Recently, he has written articles for Tennessee Conservationist and Smokies Life magazines.

Charles received a B.A from Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and a M. Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served as a pastor in Georgia and Tennessee and was the founding executive director of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and in his eight years in that position developed the Friends into an organization with an annual budget of over $1.8 million.

Later, he worked as Director of Advancement for the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN. Currently, he works with Camp Lookout, a United Methodist camp on Lookout Mountain.

Charles is a member of the Board of Directors for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and chairs the National Parks Conservation Association Southeast Regional Council.

Charles is an avid hiker, amateur astronomer, historian, and naturalist. He and his wife, Janice Scott Maynard (also a native of Chattanooga) have two daughters and two granddaughters. The Maynards live in Jonesborough, TN, near the International Storytelling Center. Charles’ parents, John and Lou, still reside on Signal Mountain.

November 9 – 7:00pm

The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne - Secretary of Interior 2006-2009

Dirk Kempthorne began his commitment to public service as the highly successful mayor of the City of Boise (1985-1992). As mayor, he helped direct a renaissance in the state's capital city that resulted in record growth, economic development, and numerous national honors.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 1992. His first bill, to end unfunded federal mandates on state and local governments, became Senate Bill 1 in the 104th Congress. He also authored the new Safe Drinking Water Act in 1996. Both bills were signed into law. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, he worked to improve the quality of life for American military personnel, reservists, their families, and veterans.

Kempthorne was elected governor of Idaho in 1998 and reelected in 2002. As Governor he obtained the largest appropriation for state parks since their creation. He championed mandatory sentences for methamphetamine manufacturing. He worked with neighboring states to develop a state-based solution for returning salmon runs in the region.

Kempthorne was confirmed as the 49th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 26, 2006. In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service he led the Centennial Challenge, a groundbreaking public private partnership to repair our parks and encourage visitation. Secretary Kempthorne obtained the largest operating budget for national parks in their history. A true outdoorsman, the Secretary frequently highlighted our national parks as a great American treasure and encouraged families and children to get outdoors and explore our lands.

Secretary Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.