ASM's 2021 William B. Marye Award

Dr. Charlie Hall has been a fixture in Maryland archaeology for twenty years both as a working anthropologist/archaeologist and as a mentor to the many avocational archaeologists fortunate enough to come within his orbit. Over the years he has helped The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc. (ASM) to maintain the close working relationship it has with the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), continuing the warm relationship with the State of Maryland that was instituted by Tyler Bastian more than fifty years ago.

He attends most meetings of the Board of Trustees and provides wise guidance to the organization in matters as diverse as changes in law and regulation affecting ASM, updates on archaeological activity in the State of Maryland, changes to procurement processes for t he Non-capital grant funds that support ASM’s annual field session, etc. As Maryland's State Terrestrial Archeologist, Charlie has helped ASM to align itself to the standards and principals used by professional archaeologists in the State of Maryland and the United States. He has also assisted ASM in understanding the many federal, state, and local laws and ordinances affecting archaeological research in Maryland. Additionally, he is the grant monitor on all of ASM’s contracts and sub-grants by and between itself and the MHT and works proactively with ASM to ensure compliance with regulations and programmatic requirements. He does this in a firm but collegial manner.

Dr. Hall plays an important role in many of ASM's activities. He has taken an active role in making the ASM Certified Archeological Technician (CAT) program a regional model. From its inception, the nominee worked on the design of curriculum. He developed and presented courses in a variety of subjects including law and regulations, an overview of Maryland prehistory, and others. He has a critical role each year in helping ASM pull together field session experiences that are interesting in the research problems for which solutions are sought, find principal investigators, plan for the safety of participants as well as other administrative matters, and ensures that the sessions provide a learning experience for neophytes and seasoned excavators alike. He is also the lead in putting together Maryland’s Archaeology Month (April) each year. His work involves bringing a broad range of stakeholders together to determine a theme for the year that will inform the subject of a poster and magnet as well as a booklet of essays by persons having expertise in the chosen subject. In all of these activities he works tirelessly with ASM and other stakeholders to ensure sufficient resources, both in kind and cash, are available to complete the work.

Charlie has assisted ASM in refining its role in Maryland archaeology through the years as the number of archaeological organizations (both public and private) in the state have proliferated. His role in brokering new relationships with other organizations both governmental and private has helped ASM expand its reach and raise its profile in the larger archaeological community. At a time when many avocational archaeological groups in the United States and Canada have become destabilized, inactive, or, worse, have fallen into the control of artifact collectors/dealers, the nominee has been a reliable and earnest supporter of The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc. and has contributed in no small way to its present stability and success.