John Robert Halsey was born on December 23, 1943 in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan in 1961. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts Degreein Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1965, and his Master of Arts Degree from the University of Michigan in 1967. John later earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976.
Currently, John is employed as the State Archaeologist for the Michigan Historical Center located in Lansing, Michigan. He has held this position since 1976. He has also been employed as the State Historical Preservation Officer, and is a Contributing Editor for Michigan History Magazine.
His archaeological fieldwork experience dates back to 1963 and he has dived numerous times at Great Lakes shipwreck sites. He was also an expert witness for the State of Michigan in the civil court case of Fairport International Exploration, Inc. Vs Shipwrecked Vessel, known as the “Captain Lawrence.”
Dr. Halsey has authored and co-authored numerous publications ranging from, "Ancient Marks" and "Ancient Rituals: Sanilac’s Petroglyphs", in Michigan History Magazine, to "The Converse Mounds: New Research on Michigan’s Greatest Hopewell Site", for Hopewell Archaeology. He currently resides in East Lansing, Michigan.
Personal Communication
Written by: Students in an Introduction to Anthropology Class, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota 2003