Tom (Thomas F.) King is an archaeologist, consultant, teacher and writer, who has worked since the late 1980s with The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery’s (TIGHAR’s) Amelia Earhart project – doing archaeological research on Nikumaroro, the island where colonists in 1940 found thirteen human bones that may well have been Earhart’s. His co-authored 2004 non-fiction book, Amelia Earhart’s Shoes, recounts TIGHAR’s adventures on the island. In Thirteen Bones, King tells the story of the 1940 discovery as it might have seemed to the Tunguru colonists, weaving the tale around facts revealed by TIGHAR’s historical and archaeological research.

King is well known in the United States and internationally as an expert in cultural or heritage resource management – trying to find ways for the modern world and the places and things we value as parts of our culture to exist in productive harmony. He has authored seven textbooks through Left Coast Press (www.lcoastpress.com) and Altamira Press (www.altamirapress.com), and scores of journal articles, popular articles, and internet offerings on heritage topics. He has done archaeological research in California and the Micronesian islands, and helped establish historic preservation systems in the island governments of Micronesia. He has worked in various agencies of the U.S. government, been a litigant and expert witness in heritage-related lawsuits, and worked extensively as a consultant and educator. He teaches short classes about historic preservation project review, traditional cultural places, and consultation with indigenous communities; he also lectures around the country on TIGHAR’s research (see http://www.tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/AEdescr.html).

King lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife, anthropologist Pat Parker, and writes a blog at http://crmplus.blogspot.com. He welcomes email at tfking106@aol.com.