Lester Chapman, Avocational Archaeologist

Lester Chapman, an avocational archaeologist for more than 20 years, is one of the founding members of the Cochise Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society and has served in virtually every office in that organization. Les was a long-time Site Steward and Regional Coordinator for the Sierra Vista area. Under his leadership, the number of Site Stewards and the number of sites monitored rapidly expanded. His infectious enthusiasm for the protection of archaeological resources was clearly communicated when he trained new recruits.

Les has been an important asset to both the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. Under the direction of Jane Childress, of the BLM’s San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area, Les made critical contributions to rock art recording projects and archaeological surveys. He also assisted in the investigation of vandalism to Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate and in the repair work that followed. Under the direction of Coronado National Forest archaeologist, William Gillespie, Les assisted with a damage assessment and excavations when vandalism was discovered on a site in Lochiel.