Archaeologist digs his future

After decades of pinpointing, documenting and preserving dozens of treasures from past and modern-day warriors, Larry Spanne is retiring from his job protecting Vandenberg Air Force Base's cultural resources.

Including graduate work as a UCSB student and consulting jobs before being hired as a civil servant, Spanne, 65, has worked on Vandenberg for 38 years, most recently as chief of cultural resources, overseeing a staff of four. His replacement hasn't been hired.

As Vandenberg's first full-time archaeologist, he helped craft the program responsible for recording and managing 2,600 individual and varied resources, helping preserve and protect everything from ancient wall paintings to Cold War-era missile facilities.