The First Margaret Mead Memorial Lecture

Abstract

I’m proud to be the first Margaret Mead lecturer. I was a friend of Margaret’s and I was pediatrician for Catherine, her daughter. I had great admiration for her. She was extraordinarily perceptive and intuitive in her study of societies. She was courageous in popularizing anthropology. I don’t know if you are aware of the beating she took from some of the academic anthropologists of her time, who, like some academicians in other fields, looked down on anyone who tried to educate the public and popularize the subject. She was indefatigable, always willing to take on more responsibilities, always ready to fight for a good cause.