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Preserving the past

Scientist fought for higher archeological standards, pioneered preservation techniques
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Mary-Lou Florian once worked with Robert Ballard, the man who discovered the resting places for both the Titanic and the Bismarck.

Victoria's Mary-Lou Florian - who once teamed up with the man who found the Titanic - was a pioneer when it came to boosting the standards of underwater archeology.

Florian, now 86, is a globally respected conservation scientist. At the University of Victoria, students affectionately dubbed her "the rotten-wood lady" - a nod to her expertise in identifying archeological wood and plant materials.

Retired but still active - Florian recently returned from a speaking engagement in Portugal - she is an international authority on stabilizing materials in precious artifacts so they don't deteriorate. In June, UVic recognized her groundbreaking work in conservation science, presenting her with an honorary doctor of science degree.

At the Royal British Columbia Museum, where she headed conservation services until her 1991 retirement, Florian gave curators direction on conserving First Nations totems, baskets and other objects - some recovered from waterlogged sites.

One of the most memorable and glamorous projects Florian participated in was the 1989 Jason Project. Robert Ballard led the enterprise, an exploration of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Italy. Ballard is a superstar in the archeology world, having discovered the location of two famous shipwrecks: the Titanic in 1985 and the Bismarck in 1989.

Florian decided it would be a good idea for the Jason Project to have a conservation scientist on board. Her bid to join the team was accepted. As part of the Jason Project, she represented the RBCM, giving the museum - the only Canadian institution to take part - an international spotlight.

Ballard and his crew had never before worked with a conservator.

As divers heaved up items such as 2,000-year-old amphoras - large vases once used for wine and oil - Florian had them immersed in a makeshift pool on deck. She wanted to desalinate the artifacts, removing salt and other minerals to help preserve them.

Some of the team viewed her pool, hastily constructed with wood and plastic sheeting, with amusement.

"The kids, the younger people, they went swimming in it, just to make me angry," Florian said with a chuckle.

Jason Project images were transmitted via satellite, viewed by an audience that included 250,000 North American schoolchildren.

Each time youngsters at the RBCM spotted Florian onscreen, they'd burst into cheers.

"I became a local hero," she said. "Every time I was on stage, they'd yell."

The showbiz aspect was fun, but the mission was a serious one.

For her part, Florian showed underwater archeologists the importance of conservation techniques, for example, the need for artifacts to be swaddled in wet rags to keep them moist. The overall aim was ensuring objects were not damaged or allowed to deteriorate before delivery to on-land conservators.

Without such conservation, "it would have been like piracy, like pirates, pulling these things up and rolling them on the deck and not knowing what to do with them," she said.

Interviewed at her sun-filled home in James Bay, the Vancouver native reflected on a lifetime's worth of achievements. These include persuading botanists attending a 1980s National Institute of Conservation assembly that it is essential to conserve plants and other collected specimens. Rather than being preserved as artifacts for future research, specimens were passed around casually by scientists - even samples of newly discovered species.

Plant specimens were often returned the worse for wear. "What would come back would be just a stem," Florian said.

"The botanists [at the National Institute of Conservation] just thought I was out to lunch. That I [had] no business telling them what to do with their collections. One of them in particular was quite rude to me."

However, after Florian's methods were given a trial run, her approach was embraced.

"We brought a higher level of professionalism to conservation," she said.

Although she's two decades past conventional retirement age, Florian's expertise continues to be in high demand. This month, she flies to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to spend two days with staff, answering questions on moulds and other damaging microorganisms.

Such a trip reflects Florian's passionate belief that scientists must not only seek out knowledge - they must pass it along to future generations.

"That's the most important thing," she said. "You have to share it." achamberlain@timescolonist.com