BY PAUL KAMPE
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Clarkston resident Michael Stafford might be considered a little different. To begin with, he prefers to start the day with a BLT on wheat instead of eggs.
‘I hate breakfast foods,? he said jokingly.
Secondly, he hails from Greenville, Mich. on the west side of the state, where the rest of his family is involved in a multi-faceted media company, Stafford Communications Group.
‘I’m the one who didn’t go into the family business,? Stafford said. ‘They’re all journalists.?
Stafford, 41, the Director of the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, has always been interested in natural history.
His mother helped push his interest by taking him to museums to see exhibits and hear lectures.
When construction crews discovered the bones of a mastodon while digging in Rochester Hills, the institute went to recover the find.
‘This is probably the coolest thing that I’ve ever seen in terms of the really unique,? Stafford said. ‘You spend all your time in graduate school hoping for it.?
The bones are currently on display at the institute. He said Cranbrook has more than 20 sets of mastodon remains, but this set is the most significant because of the local interest involved. By Stafford’s estimates, more than 4,000 visitors have visited the bones at the museum. He said the bones are between 12,000 and 16,000 years old.
Stafford started his tenure at the Institute of Science in 1996 as a Curator of Anthropology and Archeology and worked his way up. In 2002, he became the Director of the Institute after filling the position as an in an interim.
Michael enjoys the flexibility his position gives him to continue various field projects. He sees his job as a blank canvas and his duty is to paint a picture with the people around him as his colors.
‘It’s different every day and it’s never the same day twice,? Stafford said.
Stafford became the youngest director in the museum’s history. When asked about the stature of his resume at a relatively young age, Stafford said being a museum director is getting to be a younger person’s game because there is a need to embrace technology.
‘Cranbrook’s always been a place that’s been about innovation and pushing the envelope.?
Stafford said that if any skeletal remains were to be found in the area, they would be similar to the museum’s last find.
‘This is fabulous mastodon country.? He said that most of the mastodons that have been discovered in Oakland County came because of the expansion of Interstate 75.
‘This is a great area for history,? Stafford said, adding that there could still be more to discover because this area is largely undeveloped.
He recalled once there was the skull of a modern African elephant discovered in Clarkston. After looking through old news coverage, Stafford make the conclusion that the remains were those of a circus elephant which had passed away.
Stafford met his wife Theresa during the beginning of his academic journey, which would eventually lead him to Denmark. The two got together in high school in Greenville and married in 1988.
Stafford received his bachelors degree in sociology and majored in archeology from Alma College in 1987, a program he modified to meet his needs. Stafford obtained his masters degree. in anthropology from the University of Wyoming in 1990 and in 1995 he earned his Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin. He specializes in Danish and Swedish archeology.
‘It’s the one part of the world I’m convinced had the most cultural materials stuffed in the smallest geographic area’It’s really a very exciting part of the world,? he explained.
His second child was born when the family lived in a village in Denmark for about a year.
Stafford admitted his first major in college however was journalism. His dad told him though that he should find a job he would be willing to do for free, and he thought that would be archeology.
Stafford returned to his position at Cranbrook beginning in July of this year after returning from his position in Milwaukee.
The Stafford family just recently moved back to the area, which Michael said he enjoys because of the small town feel, one of the reasons they moved to the area from Orchard Lake.
When eldest son Joshua Stafford was diagnosed with Leukemia in 1998, Stafford said the community showed the family a tremendous amount of support.
‘We literally had free food coming from Rudy’s for months during his treatments,? Stafford said. ‘We had a huge outpouring of support.? ‘This was a great place to get through something.?
The family of nine, four boys and three girls, and wife Theresa came back to the area from Wisconsin, where they lived while Stafford was the director of the Milwaukee Public Museum for two years after leaving Cranbrook. He said he waned to try something new- at that time.
He credits his wife with taking good care of the family. He said that the beauty of having a large family is there is a full-time babysitter and everyone chips in helping with chores and keeping the house running.
The Stafford children range in age from 15 years old all the way down to 22 months old. ‘It’s a significant logistical management project and she’s fabulous at it,? Stafford said.
Stafford is a Rotary Member and said he looks forward to contributing to the Clarkston community. He and Theresa volunteer at Everest with a parents? group. Stafford has donated items to the Clarkston Historical Museum through Cranbrook.
He runs a camp called ‘Digging in your own back yard,? a program funded by Meijer for 2-3 weeks per year where high school aged students go on digs in the area they reside from.
Stafford enjoys beekeeping and scuba diving in his recreational time. ‘It’s (beekeeping) a great way to teach kids about the world and how it works,? said Stafford.
‘I was the kid that cut out all of the underwater pictures from the National Geographic. I wanted to scuba dive so bad I could barely stand it,? Stafford said.
Stafford videotapes his underwater adventures with his own equipment and creates movies on his computer that he hopes to incorporate into the planetarium at the museum.
Stafford said his interest is in service to groups who may be under represented. He said he has an interest in working with mentally handicapped adults, which he does through a program in Greenville. The Stafford family has been involved in that summer camp for several years.
‘These days I’m interested in experiences that are more quality than quantity,? Stafford said.