Gregory Herman Perino (February 25, 1914 – July 4, 2005)[1] was an American self-taught professional archaeologist, author, consultant, and the last living founder of the Illinois State Archaeological Society.
[2] Originally from Belleville, Illinois, Perino started exploring Cahokia and the surrounding Mississippi River bluffs as a teenager.
His fascination with the past and his innate ability to locate and meticulously excavate prehistoric cemeteries and burial mounds soon led him into a career as a self-taught professional archaeologist, first with the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma; then with the Foundation for Illinois Archeology in Kampsville, Illinois; and finally with the Museum of the Red River in Idabel, Oklahoma.
His 1956 Gilcrease Institute excavations into Mound 34 uncovered a series of unusual artifacts and deposits from a copper workshop, that was subsequently lost for 60 years but rediscovered in 2010.
For Gregory Perino's enduring contributions to Illinois archaeology, he was accorded the IAS Public Service Award.