RICHARD P. AND CAROL L. MASON MEMORIAL GRANT

Proposal Deadline: May 15, annually

The Richard P. and Carol L. Mason Memorial Grant is awarded by the Wisconsin Archeological Society in recognition of the significant contributions they made in the field of Wisconsin archaeology as avocationals and professionals. Their sons, Alan and Brian Mason, have generously donated funds for this grant.

One $500 grant will be awarded annually. The grant is to be used as tuition and/or fee assistance for any member of the Wisconsin Archeological Society (student or avocational) to participate in a Wisconsin university/college field school investigating a site in Wisconsin. You can become a member by going to the WAS website http://wiarcheologicalsociety.org and accessing the Membership page. 

The grant funds can be used for university/college credit, continuing education credit or fees associated with volunteer participation in the field school. Participation can be in the form of surveys, and/or excavations and/or lab work. The grant funds are reimbursable with the completion of the field school participation.

To apply, go to the WAS website http://wiarcheologicalsociety.org  Awards and Grants page, and access the “Richard P. and Carol L. Mason Memorial Grant” page. Download the “Guidelines” and “Application” which will instruct you in everything you need to do to apply.

Questions? Email cydstil@newnorth.net.

The application and additional information are available for download here:

Mason Memorial Grant

BIOGRAPHY

Richard P. (Dick) Mason (1939-2020) and Carol L. Mason (1941-1996)
(From biographies compiled by Jeffery Behm, Professor Emeritus University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh) 

It is difficult to write separately about Carol and Dick because they worked together in life as well as in  their archaeological careers. Both were life-long residents of Neenah and began their careers as  avocational archaeologists. They focused their research in Winnebago, Waupaca and Waushara Counties.  Together they established the Fox Valley Chapter of the Wisconsin Archeological Society, renamed the  Robert Ritzenthaler Archaeological Society in honor of the long-time editor of the journal The Wisconsin Archeologist.  

Soon after they married, Carol began an active participation in Dick’s avocational activities. In the  beginning, they concentrated on surface collecting. When they began working with professional  archaeologists, they assisted as volunteers and acquired additional field expertise. Recognizing the  complexity of field and laboratory techniques, Dick advocated for proper training for avocational  archaeologists and artifact collectors. While a formal certification program was not established, the  frequent participation of both Dick and Carol in the field projects of many of professional archaeologists  in Wisconsin provided them with an impressive informal education.  

The Masons were instrumental in the inauguration of the Fox Valley Archaeology journal in 1977 and  contributed over 100 articles in this journal as well as contributing articles to all the major professional  journals in the region. Dick served as the editor/assembler of Fox Valley Archaeology from 1984-1987 and again in 2007. Even a quick scan of the list of sites documented by the Masons as well as a list of  their publications testifies to the profound impact that they have had on the archaeology of east central  Wisconsin. In addition to articles on archeological investigations, they both wrote short summary articles  on topics of interest to members of the Ritzenthaler chapter.  

Carol began attending the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the early 1980s and over the next decade  earned an impressive number of degrees: Bachelor of Arts (1985), Master of Fine Arts (1987), Bachelor  of Science in Anthropology (1989). She earned her Master of Science in Anthropology in 1994 from the  University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As an undergraduate she received the Stephen Bedwell Award for  Excellence in Anthropology and was also listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities for 1988-1989.  

In 1989, with the introduction of the State Regional Archaeology Program, Carol became the Assistant  Regional Archaeologist for Region 7, housed at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Her efforts were  largely responsible for numerous new sites added to the state records as well as updates to existing sites.  Carol attended field schools as an undergraduate and later was employed as field director on a number of  University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh field schools. Carol was also accepted as a Qualified Archaeologist by  the Office of the State Archaeologist to excavate human remains encountered in archaeological projects.  Both Dick and Carol were voted membership into the Wisconsin Archaeological Survey: Carol in 1994, and Dick as member in honoris causa in 2005. 

In addition to her work in archaeology, Carol was an accomplished artist and illustrator, winning awards  for her watercolors, oil paintings and jewelry. She was a freelance illustrator and photographer and taught  art and photography at the Fox Valley Technical College. Carol’s work was exhibited in galleries  throughout the state.  

Both Masons received the Increase A. Lapham Research Medal, awarded by the Wisconsin  Archaeological Society in recognition of their significant contributions to the archaeology of Wisconsin.  Dick received the award the award in 1984 and Carol posthumously in 1998. 

The Mason Collection 
As a young man, Dick began artifact collecting with his father on the shores of Little Lake Butte des  Morts. The sites that Dick and his father collected together formed the beginning of Dick’s collection.  Over 100 sites and carefully defined site areas are represented in the Mason Collection, each area  accompanied by its own set of field notes. Throughout his years of collecting, he enlisted the help of  noted archaeologists Bob Hruska and Ronald Mason. Because Dick’s collection pre-dates the  establishment of a state inventory, Dick developed his own site catalogue system. In the late 1980s and  early 1990s, the Mason Collection sites were added to the Wisconsin Archaeological Inventory, the  digital data base of all known archaeological sites in Wisconsin, maintained by the Office of the State  Archaeologist in Madison.  

The majority of the Mason Collection represents sites in Winnebago County, reflecting Dick’s original and long-standing intention of focusing on a relatively small area close to home. This collection contains every significant temporal and cultural manifestation identified in Wisconsin’s archaeological record. Dick donated his extensive archaeological collection in 2018 to the Archaeology Laboratory at the  University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Mason Collection, amassed over a life-time of active avocational  research and with the active assistance of his wife Carol, is widely recognized as a major research  resource. The donation of this collection ensures its long-term preservation and availability for future  research.