On the evening of Thursday, 11 November 1999, a reception was held at the Southeastern Archaeological Conference in Pensacola, Florida, to honor some of the southeast's pioneer women archeologists. The rooms of the University of West Florida Archaeology Institute were packed with guests, many scur­rying about to collect autographs from the corsage-bedecked honorees, all of whom glowed from the unexpected but well-deserved attention. The catalyst for this reception was the newly published book, Grit­ Tempered: Early Women Archeologists in the Southeastern United States, on the careers of these truly grit-tempered women.