A Taste of Adventure

The Peccary Society is the research arm of the Alf Museum, the accredited paleontology museum located on the Webb campus. For many Webb students, parents, and alumni, it's also a gateway to adventure.

The Peccary Society offers regular fossil-hunting expeditions (called Peccary Trips) throughout the western United States, and even overseas. "These are not tailgate parties," says Doug Myles (P '80). "They are bona fide explorations in remote lands." Myles speaks from experience: he and his family have been part of many trips, and he joined a particularly rugged expedition to the Gobi Desert in 1995.

For Dr. Gloria Stevens (P '11), these trips are the fulfillment of a fantasy. "I had thought about being an archaeologist," she explains. "There was a little piece of me that wanted to do that type of work." When her son, Peter Liskanich '11, wanted to join the 2008 trip to Mongolia, Dr. Stevens decided to go along, even though she'd never even been camping before. She and her husband, Dr. Ron Liskanich (P '11), have also joined some stateside expeditions. She and Peter have already signed up for the 2010 trip to China.

Experiences like these have inspired the Myles and Liskanich families to give generously to the museum. "I always looked at the Alf Museum as a marvelous hands-on opportunity to be exposed to the scientific method of inquiry," explains Doug Myles, who has been a member of the museum's Board of Trustees for more than 15 years. Myles and his wife have been leadership donors to Alf Museum for many years, and they recently made an extraordinary $100,000 gift to support the 2011 renovation of the Hall of Life. The Liskanich/Stevens family is also a leadership donor, including acting as a sponsor for the annual Peccary Society Dinner. "I wish I would have had such an opportunity when I was in high school," muses Dr. Stevens.

"I'm grateful to all the people before us who helped make the school and the museum what they are for my son," she adds. "I hope we can maintain that standard for the future."