Archaeology latest venture in diverse career

I just do volunteer archaeology now-around the world," says Vilma (Lavetti) Kohn, who graduated with a B.A. from UB in 1948 and a master's in biology in 1950.

After leaving UB, Kohn added to her string of degrees and pursued a variety of professional careers. She earned a Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Michigan in 1956 and taught college biology and physics for three years. In 1971, she received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve, then practiced law for 15 years. And she raised four children, now grown.

In 1986, Kohn earned degree No. 5-a master's in archaeology from Case Western. The rest is a kind of blueprint for retiring in double time. Kohn's "retirement" pursuits are far from ordinary. She could be excavating an archaeological site almost anywhere around the globe-most recently, she headed to Italy, where she was to work in Tuscany for two and a half weeks, with a group from the University of Bologna, excavating an Etruscan farmhouse.

The need for experienced help is there, says Kohn. "A lot of organizations put out calls for help with excavating and cataloging," she notes. "I pay my own way," Kohn points out.

She's also been doing reef conservation research-on a volunteer basis-monitoring the reef population in various parts of the world and setting up underwater parks in places such as the Dominican Republic.