PSU Magazine Spring 1988

sional class in field recovery to law enforcement personnel. "We need them to spot valuable evidence in the field that is not easily recognized," says Bennett. Apparently the acid soil in Oregon is usually a contributing factor to the condition of any remains, making short work of organic material. The real life combination of anthropologist and detective has worked well for Bennett. That is why Bennett enjoys talking about a case she worked on in Red– mond, Ore. In a shallow cave above the Deschutes River some children found a complete skeleton. "The local authorities didn't know if they had a criminal case or what," recounts Ben– nett. "There was no obvious gun at the scene or bullet in the skull. "When I went to the scene I didn 't find anything either - not even a shirt button - and I cordoned it off like a dig, sifting through dirt." Follow– ing their instincts, Bennett and her colleague sent a bone sample to the radiocarbon lab for dating, it came in at 2,400 years. The skeleton was of an ancient Indian and the dry, well drained, sheltered condition of the cave had preserved it through the years. W ith a life like a Quincy tele– vision show, it would stand to reason that Bennett, 42, would not need extra excitement or meticu– lous data gathering as a hobby. And she does rent a quiet cabin located on a Newberg filbert farm overlooking the Willamette River. Water is pumped in from a well, when it's working, and since the farm work is not her respon– sibility she can still enjoy gardening. Bennett also relaxes on skates, but her perfectionist nature surfaces here. She is a bronze level ice dancer and silver level roller dancer. A few lucky individuals leave for a job each morning they love to do, an obvious fact because it flows into their off-hours life. For nine summers Ben– nett went to Mexico to "play," as she puts it, on digs and research projects. For excitement she is an avid pilot working on her commercial license and instructor's rating so she can teach flying part-time. "I love to fly and I love to teach ' how-to' things," laughs Bennett, realizing how similar this is to what she does everyday at PSU and with the police. She and seven other individuals own a small PSU MAGAZINE PAGE9 Muscle attachment marks at the base of a skull help Bennett determine sex. plane which means scheduling is sometimes a problem. Bennett has learned the complicated, licensed task of rigging parachutes, an art that again requires scientific attention to detail. And does she read detective novels? Indubitably, although she admits to preferring science fiction and fantasy. The real life combination of anthropologist and detective has worked well for Bennett. In a case that would make a great chapter in a book, a skeleton was discovered in a shallow grave behind a north Portland apart– ment house. The remains were clothed in an out-of-date style, and while the synthetic clothing had sur– vived none of the cotton stitching had. Realizing the clothing must have been made before the use of polyester– cotton thread, and taking into consid– eration other findigs, Bennett and her colleagues estimated the woman had been dead for eight to 10 years. This information along with the woman's height, age, race, body weight and most importantly, a surgical screw in a collarbone, lead to an orthopedic surgeon who supplied the positive identification. The human skeleton is an object of strange fascination. It seems anony– mous, as if the identity of whoever inhabited it is long forgotten . But in the hands of Bennett a skull or bone becomes familiar. The shape of the nasal aperture and the line of a brow translate under her expert fingers and eyes into race, sex and age - back into a person. There is something comforting in knowing that once the color of our eyes and cheeks are gone, the shape of our nose and lips are no longer dis– cernable, the person beneath the skin can still be known to people like Bennett. ~