Jim Whittall passed away on November 18, 1998 after a long and incredibly courageous battle with cancer. His long interest in and dedication to New England prehistory is exemplified by his determination to participate in the Mystery Hill "old timer’s" night just two weeks before his death. In 1954 the Early Sites Foundation was set up and he had the privilege of working with such legendary figures as Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Elmer Harp, Malcom Pearson, and Frank Glynn. They were then on the cutting edge of research that has blossomed into the broad subject of pre-Columbian contacts and the origin of enigmatic New England stonework. In 1964, NEARA was formed. Both groups worked at Mystery Hill and began gathering information as new sites were brought to their attention.
The Early Sites Research Society was founded in 1973 with Jim at the helm.  There is not enough space to even begin to list all of Jim’s accomplishments, but two immediately come to mind.  First, his organization (with the Western Epigraphic Society) of the conference at Salem, "Quest of the Ancient Mariners" in 1985, where we heard from George Carter, Clyde Keeler, Fred Pohl, and other outstanding speakers. In my opinion, his most enduring legacy will be the work he did at Morrill’s Point in Salisbury, Massachusetts. He carefully excavated this Red Paint burial in a mound which produced a skeleton (dated to 7500 BP) and one of the earliest fluted points in the East.  For years ignored by academics, in recent years the site has been recognized by archaeologists, and the artifacts will take their place in history.
Jim’s interests were wide-ranging, from Iberic in Portugal, to Henry Sinclair and the Newport Tower, to rock art in Maine, Ireland and the Far West. The list is endless. His little museum is a treasure trove of information, artifacts, mountains of correspondence, photos and records.  ESRS officers and members met recently to assure access to this invaluable resource for future generations.
Last spring, Jim generously offered NEARA the opportunity to copy any of his site reports that we would be interested in. I seemed to be the logical one to decide which ones would be most relevant (late ’60s, early ’70s), and I felt privileged to spend a few days with him in late summer. I was just one of many who admired his dedication and remarkable courage during the last few difficult years.  Jim was a truly unique individual and will be sorely missed.

ROSLYN STRONG