On May 1, 2026 Richard Schwartz was awarded the Presidential Recognition Award from the Society for American Archaeology (SAA). “For his enduring work in researching, documenting, and preserving archaeological sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and bringing the historical past to life through engaging public lectures and publications.” Richard Schwartz has spent decades in pursuit of the past in the San Francisco Bay Area, and particularly in East Bay communities. Relying heavily on historic newspaper records, he has researched accounts of pre- and post-contact archeological sites. His day job as a building contractor has allowed him to unassumingly access private property and talk with owners about sites on their property. As a result, he has located and documented many hundreds of archeological sites across the East Bay. For professional archaeologists, Mr. Schwartz remains the go-to source for data on site locations in the East Bay. In addition, he has published award-winning books on the history of the Bay Area and can frequently be found presenting engaging public lectures on Bay Area history and its eccentric characters. - Society for American Archaeology (SAA). Richard Schwartz is a historian and the author of "Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley"; "Earthquake Exodus, 1906"; "Berkeley 1900"; and "The Circle of Stones". Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. An outdoor enthusiast and animal lover, Schwartz worked on a Pennsylvania Dutch farm for two years before heading west to find higher mountains. He now lives in Berkeley, California, where he works as a building contractor and documents early Native American sites in the Bay Area. The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty (April 2017) is his fifth book and was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library to be included in their collection. The book was also recently awarded the bronze medal in the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards.