Thank you for helping Dr. Bass dream become reality. Now that the building is ready there are still many other on going items needed you can be a part by sending your donation to:
       Dr. Bill Bass
       Bone Zones
       P.O.Box 128
             Strawberry Plains, TN
37871-0128

Or see below:

In the 24 hours since we started the campaign to put Dr. Bill Bass on a U.S. postage stamp, we’ve gotten over 100 “likes” on Facebook. Susan Seals suggested the stamp campaign after the dedication ceremony for the Dr. William M. Bass Forensic Anthropology Center on Tuesday.

The sun shone brightly on the invited guests. I sat between FBI Public Affairs Specialist Stacie Bohanan and Dr. Arpad Vass. In the moments before the ceremony began, I asked Dr. Vass what would happen to a corpse in the sun. It would desiccate, he told me. It might also turn red as the cells under the skin broke down. An array of deans and professors cut the ribbon, and by ribbon I mean crime-scene tape.

Stacie shared some of her photos with me. She got a nice shot of me with Dr. Bass. Author Jon Jefferson planted a surprise kiss on my cheek just as Stacie clicked the shutter.

Before the dedication, we looked around the inside of the building. Several of us joked about climbing onto the autopsy table or onto one of the slabs in the walk-in cooler. In reality, nobody would dare do anything to ruin Dr. Bass’ special day. For the open house, the lab was decorated with large photos of a body going through the various stages of decomposition.

Dr. Al Hazari said it would be funny to climb into one of the huge Blodgett kettles. He did stick his head in for a closer look. In a restaurant, the kettles might be used to cook soup. In the forensic building, they will be used to remove stubborn flesh from bone.

Dead-ication -Frank Murphy

Susan Seals isn’t done yet. For the past few years, she has been helping Dr. Bill Bass realize his dream for the Dr. William M. Bass Anthropology Building. The new building, made possible by donations from Dr. & Mrs. Bass and Jimmy & Dee Haslam among others, was dedicated on Tuesday. After the ceremony, Susan told me she now wants the U.S. Postal Service to put Dr. Bass on a stamp.

Several speakers, including Dr. Jimmy Cheek and Dr. Jan Simek, praised Dr. Bass for his research which led to advances in anatomy, osteology, anthropology and criminology. They also praised his skills as a teacher, a department head and a role model. During his own remarks, Dr. Bass told one of my favorite stories about the origins of the Body Farm. He needed a place to store a maggot-covered body overnight and figured that a shower stall in Neyland Stadium would be suitable.

I’ve been asked to do whatever I can to help get a stamp for 83-year-old Dr. Bill Bass. He is a living legend in the fields of forensics and osteology. As one of the comments on Facebook put it: “The world is a safer place because of Dr. Bill Bass. He is a national treasure!” I’ve known Dr. Bass for nine years and can wholeheartedly endorse his character. The praise bestowed upon him at the dedication ceremony for the building named after him made it all the more obvious that he is deserving of a stamp too.

The postal service says the public can suggest potential honorees by several methods. I’ve already started via Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps I could make more of an impact by sending a message in a manner that most others won’t: first-class mail