John W. O'Hear - North American Archaeologist, Curator of Research Collections
Email: jwo1@ra.msstate.edu
Phone: 662-325-7524
Fax: 662-325-8690
Address: PO Box AR, Mississippi State, MS 39762

B.A. in Anthropology, University of Alabama, 1972
M.A. in Anthropology, University of Alabama, 1975

Currently ABD in Anthropology, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, John W. O'Hear came to Mississippi State University in 1976 to supervise archaeological project work for the Department of Anthropology. In 1981 he joined the research staff of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology. During his career he has directed several large-scale excavation projects at prehistoric Native American sites in Alabama and Mississippi and has conducted numerous other smaller excavations and surveys. He has also done field work in Mexico, Jordan and Israel, and has served in consulting roles for archaeological and historical programs in Catamarca, Argentina and in the Cienfuegos Province, Cuba. In 1986 he was instrumental in helping to secure funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of a special curation facility at MSU to house materials from Mississippi sites excavated in conjunction with the development of the Tombigbee Waterway. He continues to serve as Curator of materials stored in the facility. O'Hear's main research interests include the prehistoric archaeology of the southeastern U.S., evolutionary and ecological theory, computer applications, and intra-site analyses. His doctoral research is focused on the investigation of Alexander culture of the Early Woodland Period. Other current projects involve study of Chickasaw Indian remains from the Tupelo, Mississippi area. He has been asked by the Chickasaw Nation to serve as their official consultant with regard to matters relating to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).