John F. Furey was nominated by The Southwest Florida Archaeological Society (SWFAS) for the Lazarus Award. The award honors achievements by an individual who does not make a living doing archaeology. John meets criteria of the Lazarus Award by his scholarship, stewardship of archaeological data, public education, and bringing together people interested in Florida’s cultural heritage.
In 2012, John contacted SWFAS, becoming a member and speaking at the January 2013 chapter meeting. In January 2016, John was elected President, a position he has held for 8 years and counting. He has revitalized this once very active FAS chapter, many of whose members had passed away. SWFAS is distinguished for its operation of the Craighead Lab on the grounds of the Collier County Museum in Naples, and for members active in FAS, some who volunteered at Pineland, Mound Key, Mound House, and other sites. In 2004, SWFAS received the FAS Chapter Award for its achievements (see volume 57, number 3, page 237, in The Florida Anthropologist). John has built audiences through consistent, engaging public programs. He has released a regular, widely circulated newsletter, and forged relationships with area media. As a SWFAS promoter, he has set up and staffed tables at events. By 2019, John’s “system” proved fruitful. SWFAS programs were attracting audiences of 100 people.
Not a stranger to archaeology, John completed B.A. degrees in Anthropology and Geology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1970. At Florida Atlantic University (FAU), he earned an M.A. degree in Anthropology (Archaeology) in 1972. Studying under Dr. William Sears, John assisted with laboratory work on Fort Center (8GL13), archaeological surveys in Boca Raton, and salvage excavations at Boca Raton Inlet Midden (8PB6). His excavations at Boca Weir Site (8PB56) in Highland Beach, Palm Beach County, were the basis of his thesis titled “The Spanish River Complex: Settlement Patterning in the Eastern Okeechobee Subarea of Florida,” the first major site report in that part of Florida. He published a portion of his work in The Florida Anthropologist in 1977. It focused on 175 shark tooth tools from Boca Weir, at the time the largest number from a Florida site, except Fort Center.
Furey served 3 years in Germany with the U.S. Army and completed an M.B.A. at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, in 1979. He then worked for Riley Stoker Corporation for 23 years. In 1995, he and his son formed Fiberlink, Inc., to provide fiber optic splicing and testing in the northeast U.S. Retiring, John and wife Linda, a nurse, spend winters in Cape Coral and summers in Massachusetts. Once back in south Florida, John’s passion for archaeology and shark teeth were reignited. He compiled a state-wide study of shark tooth tool distribution, frequency, and technological differences, as well as shark species variability. This work will provide a reference on shark utilization in all regions of Florida.
John restarted an internal award for SWFAS achievers. In 2017, John gave a Golden Trowel to Susan Harrington, SWFAS Secretary since 2016 and who produces the monthly newsletter. Since then, there have been six more recipients. John also has been the driving force in recognizing long-time SWFAS contributors with FAS awards. He nominated Charlie Strader for the Lazarus Award in 2020 and was behind FAS Certificates of Achievement for Elizabeth Clement and Jack Harvey in 2017, Janet Gooding in 2018, Susan Harrington and Betsy Perdichizzi in 2020, Steve Tutko and Thomas Franchino in 2021. He is strong supporter of FAS, attending annual meetings and promoting FAS membership at each SWFAS meeting. John has helped record SWFAS history, seeking help from Craighead Lab volunteers to scan records and newsletters housed there. With the launch of a new website (swflarchaeology.org), John populated its pages like an archive, writing a history, compiling monthly talks by speaker, title, and date. Eventually, records extended back into the 1980s.
Another achievement was that John also preserved data held at Craighead Lab from past SWFAS excavations, scanning and routinely backing them up. Some artifacts and records were transferred to other repositories, such as the Marco Island Historical Society. Eventually, John hopes to publish some past work by SWFAS. In September 2021, John published an article in The Florida Anthropologist about the final public acquisition of Mound Key, in Estero Bay, by Lee County.
[from The Florida Anthropologist, Volume 77 Number 3, September 2024]