This attitude was prevalent when Thomas began his archeological research on St. Catherines Island in 1974.
Thomas' visit and Signature Lecture was designed to commemorate the transfer of a major trove of artifacts to the UGA Laboratory of Archeology recovered by Thomas and his team on St. Catherines Island. This collection itself and what it implies about Georgia's past underscores this truism shared by Thomas:
"It's not what you find," Thomas said about the importance of archeology. "It's what you find out."
Image of St. Catherines Island courtesy of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.