John North Editor & Publisher

I suppose it was bound to happen, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it.

Yes, Harrison Ford, who portrays the adventure-seeking Indiana Jones, has been elected to the board of directors of the Boston-based Archaeological Institute of America.

He is the actor who is credited with glamorizing archaeology on the big screen. Ford is expected to lend his star power to advancing the AIA’s causes.

The AIA promotes archaeological excavation, research, education and preservation worldwide.
The organization’s president, Brian Rose, announced Ford’s election and told The Associated Press last week that Jones’s character has played a major part in stimulating interest in archaeological exploration.

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Harrison Ford (left) plays Indiana Jones.

At least the timing is impeccable — the latest installation in the film series, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” is scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on Thursday. I’ll probably watch — and enjoy — the film, but I still think Ford’s election to the AIA board makes a mockery of what should be a hard-earned post — not an honorary one.

Think of the many qualified archaeologists out there getting passed over for a Hollywood actor who merely pretends to be an archaeologist.

The AIA is billed as “North America’s oldest and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology with nearly 250,000 members and subscribers belonging to more than 100 local AIA societies in the United States, Canada, and overseas, united by a shared passion for archaeology and its role in furthering human knowledge,” according to its Web site.

Doubtless, Ford’s appointment will reap much free positive publicity for the AIA, but it still looks like a sellout move by the organization to me.

For Ford, accepting the appointment is a savvy move that will boost his film and further solidify his career.
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John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be contact at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .