February 17, 2026

President Nick Morgan called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. There were 31 attendees.

Pre-presentations were made by three student teams participating in the First Lego League (FLL) competition. These included the Robo Rockers, with their “ArchLog” app that includes a centralized database to provide comprehensive information about artifacts involving QR codes. The second team, the Antique Explorers developed “Small Dig Guards,” a portable system for on-site authentication, early warning and smart artifact cleaning systems. And finally, Team Nothing-Bot-Robotics presented their multi-language system involving a universal standard data template, AI integration and analysis.

This was followed by the business meeting. Secretary Pat Mercado-Allinger read the minutes for the January meeting. It was noted that the Vice-President position is vacant since Ken Headrick withdrew his name from the nominations list. With this correction, Leslie Bush moved and Lori Decker seconded the approval of the minutes. The minutes were approved.

Treasurer Caitlin Guilihur presented the Treasurer’s report. Lori Decker moved to approve the report and Alan Bland seconded the motion. The report was approved.  Guilihur noted that she is currently working on the 2026 budget.

Announcements:

·      Leslie Bush requested ideas for talks, field trips, site visits, etc. She asked that members contact her directly.

·      President Morgan reported that lab processing continues on Tuesdays, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Texas Historical Commission Lab. The work will be concentrating on the 2026 Texas Archeological Society Field School collections recovered by the Youth Group.

The evening program, entitled Preliminary Investigations of 41HY6  was presented by Katherine Pontillo.

The meeting concluded at 7:42 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Mercado-Allinger