George R. Fischer facts for kids
George Robert Fischer (born May 4, 1937 – died May 29, 2016) was an American underwater archaeologist. Many people see him as the person who started the field of underwater archaeology for the National Park Service. He grew up in California and studied at Stanford University. He began working for the National Park Service in 1959. He worked in six parks and in Washington, D.C. He also worked at the Southeast Archaeological Center until he retired in 1988.
Starting in 1974, he taught classes in underwater archaeology at Florida State University. He also helped teach courses on scientific diving techniques. After retiring from the National Park Service, he spent more time at FSU. His help made the university's underwater archaeology program very strong.
Fischer was a true pioneer in finding and studying things underwater. Many of his students are now professors in the U.S. and other countries. They also work as archaeologists for states and the government. He started the underwater archaeology program for the National Park Service in 1968. He was part of many early shipwreck digs. These digs are now famous examples in archaeology textbooks. Some examples include the 1554 Padre Island galleons, the 1733 galleon San Jose, and the 1748 British warship HMS Fowey. Fischer taught at Florida State University for almost 30 years as a volunteer. This helped their underwater archaeology program grow and introduced many students to this exciting field.
Contents
About George Fischer's Life
Fischer was born in Susanville, Lassen County. His father, George August Fischer, was a forester. His mother, Ruth Robertson Fischer, was a school teacher. He grew up in small towns in northern California. These included Alturus, Quincy, and Tulelake. While in Tulelake, his mother taught children at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center. She often brought young George with her. He learned alongside the Japanese children who were held there.
He met his wife, Nancy (Jane) George Fischer, at Stanford. They married on June 20, 1961. Their only child, George Matthew Fischer, was born on May 9, 1963. At that time, Fischer was working at Montezuma Castle National Monument in Arizona. George and Nancy lived in Tallahassee, Florida, during his career. They stayed there after he retired.
He passed away in Tallahassee, Florida, on May 29, 2016. His wife and son survived him.
His Education
Fischer went to Stanford University from 1955 to 1960. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. He also studied English and Geology. He continued his studies at Stanford from 1960 to 1962. He completed almost all the work for his Master of Arts in Anthropology. Later, from 1972 to 1973, he also took some classes at Florida State University. This was while he worked at the Southeast Archaeological Center.
His Career and Work
George Fischer worked for the National Park Service from 1959 to 1988. He started as a seasonal Park Ranger and archaeologist. He worked at Mesa Verde National Park and Wupatki National Monument from 1959 to 1962. In 1962, he became a full-time Park Archaeologist at Montezuma Castle National Monument. In 1964, he moved to Ocmulgee National Monument.
In 1966, Fischer became a Staff Archaeologist in Washington, D.C. There, he managed archaeological resources and did research. He also started to focus on his interest in underwater archaeology.
In 1972, Fischer moved to Tallahassee. He became a Research Archaeologist at the Southeast Archaeological Center. This center worked closely with Florida State University. This led to Fischer working with FSU's archaeology teachers and students. When he retired from the National Park Service in 1988, he became a Courtesy Assistant Professor at FSU.
At Florida State, he taught underwater archaeology courses. He also gave talks on underwater archaeology for other classes. These included historical archaeology and public archaeology. He helped teach courses on scientific diving and project management. In the late 1990s, he started to retire more fully.
Important Archaeology Projects
George Fischer led many field projects during his career. These projects were in places like Gulf Islands National Seashore. He also worked at Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Jefferson, and Fort Matanzas National Monument in Florida. Another project was at Fort Frederica National Monument in Georgia.
Outside the National Park System, he worked on projects in Florida. These included Fort Picolata and a search for HMS Fox (1799). He also surveyed Ballast Cove and Wakulla Springs. He even helped the Florida Department of Law Enforcement use underwater archaeology for crime scene investigations. He also investigated shipwrecks in Mobile Bay.
Montezuma Well Discoveries
In October 1968, Fischer led one of the Park Service's first underwater archaeology projects. He directed a survey and testing at Montezuma Well. This site is part of Montezuma Castle National Monument in Arizona.
The Steamboat Bertrand
From July to September 1969, Fischer helped lead the excavation of the 19th-century steamboat Bertrand. This wreck was found at Desoto National Wildlife Refuge on the Missouri River. Over 200,000 items were found from the wreck. These objects were in amazing condition. Many were still packed in their original crates. They even had the names of the companies that made and shipped them. All these items dated to April 1, 1865. This project showed Fischer how historic shipwrecks are like "time capsules." They let you see a specific day and event frozen in time. This was different from working with broken pieces of artifacts.
Padre Island National Seashore Shipwrecks
In 1970, George Fischer led one of the first major underwater archaeology investigations by the National Park Service. This started with a land survey using metal detectors. Then, they looked at underwater archaeological sites at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. Research led to an underwater archaeological survey of the 1554 Spanish Plate Fleet wrecks there. They also excavated the Galleon San Esteban. The Texas Antiquities Committee supported this work.
Fort Jefferson Underwater Work
Fort Jefferson is a large brick fort in the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 70 miles west of Key West. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fischer led studies of underwater archaeological sites there. He led surveys and excavations. The work in 1969 was the first big shipwreck survey by the National Park Service in a park. They found more than 20 sites. He also worked with Earth Satellite Corporation to find shipwrecks using special remote sensing tools. Work continued at Fort Jefferson in 1981 and 1982 with Florida State University.
The 1622 Galleon Rosario
In the summers of 1981 and 1982, Fischer led underwater archaeology investigations. They explored what is believed to be the wreck of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario. This ship was part of the 1622 Spanish fleet. They also found an unknown patache (a small ship) from the same fleet. This investigation showed how quickly the Spanish salvaged their own wrecks. They might have salvaged the Rosario less than a month after a hurricane sank it.
The HMS Fowey Shipwreck
HMS Fowey was a British warship with 44 guns and over 200 men. It was lost on a reef in what is now Biscayne National Park in 1748. The sunken ship became part of a legal fight. A treasure hunter claimed it belonged to him. Through legal battles and archaeological studies in the 1980s and 1990s, Fischer and his team identified the ship. They also won a legal case that changed how Admiralty law was used for sunken shipwrecks.
The court decided that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 should apply to shipwrecks underwater. This meant it was like historic sites on land. It stopped people from taking things from historic shipwrecks in National Parks for profit. Many of his colleagues believe this was George Fischer's most important achievement.
Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology
Fischer was also a founder of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology. This is an international group that helps governments and others with underwater archaeology. He is now an emeritus (retired but honored) member.
FSU's Diving Program
During Fischer's time as a professor, Florida State University's Academic Diving Program grew. It became one of the largest diving research and training programs in the United States. This program helps faculty and students with their research diving needs. It also helps outside groups like the Florida Geological Survey. Fischer helped teach scientific diving and project management courses from 1976 to 2002. His help was very important for the growth of this program.
Publications
- George Fischer, with Russell K. Skowronek, wrote a book called HMS Fowey Lost and Found. It tells the story of finding and studying the British warship lost in 1748. It was published in 2009.
Awards and Special Honors
- The Department of Anthropology at Florida State University named its underwater archaeology lab after him. It is called the George R. Fischer Laboratory of Underwater Archaeology.
- The Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) gave Fischer a Lifetime Achievement award. This was for his many contributions to underwater archaeology and for teaching new generations of archaeologists. He received this award on March 21, 2007.
- In March 2007, LAMP announced that Fischer donated his personal library to them. This collection of books became the main part of a research library named the George R. Fischer Library of Maritime Archaeology.
- A special session of papers was given in his honor. This was at the 41st Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology in Albuquerque on January 10, 2008.
- On January 8, 2010, Fischer received the Society for Historical Archaeology's Award of Merit. This was for his many contributions to underwater archaeology and his excellent service.
