By Tim Wallace
[tmwallace237@gmail.com]
NC State University
Tim Wallace
One of the best things about the SfAA meetings is the awards ceremony, at least in my opinion. First I am amazed at all of the wonderful, incredible things that the Malinowski and Sol Tax Award winners have done. These two recognize individuals who have had stellar careers and who have given their all to applied anthropology. The Mead Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an early career scholar. The Peter K. New Award rewards a promising graduate student for their outstanding research and/or applied work. The several other student awards, Del Jones, Bea Medicine, Gil Kushner, Valene Smith, Edward H. and Rosamond B. Spicer, and the Student Endowed Awards all recognize successful achievements by both graduate and undergraduate students. You can view all the past winners of these awards by going to the SfAA website [www.sfaa.net/awards.html].
Assistant Editor Mary Katherine Thorn
This year Frances Norwood, Ann McElroy and Clifford Barnett are the anthropologists taking home the hardware for the major awards. See the stories about McElroy and Norwood in this issue. A story about Clifford Barnett ran in the last issue of the SfAA News. I always enjoy attending the awards ceremony, seeing the students have shined at the meetings and hearing a bit of the life experiences from the winners of the key awards: the Mead, Tax and Malinowski winners. Their words inspire me to be a little bit harder working and a little bit better at giving back to applied anthropology. This year will be no exception. For me, then, the highlight of the meeting is the Awards ceremony, this year to be held on Friday evening starting at 7:30PM in International A and B at the Baltimore Sheraton. The Malinowski Award speech is a focal point for the entire meetings. Clifford Barnett has had a profound influence on both applied anthropology and the discipline as a whole. Ann McElroy has toiled in the background on SfAA Committees as both member and Chair. Her long, successful and crucial involvement in SfAA activities is finally being recognized with the Sol Tax Award. Frances Norwood’s important book on the death and dying is undoubtedly worthy of the Mead Award. Her work on dying shows how patients can have a venue for processing the meaning of their lives and affirming their social identity. Surely Margaret Mead would have approved.
Finally, let me add my congratulations and thanks to Brian Burke who has very ably led the Student Committee as its Chair for the last two years. Let me also express my admiration to Elizabeth Marino who has done an excellent job as Student Corner Editor. Ms. Marino whose editorship is ending with this issue, led the transition of the student corner into a venue for student written micro-essays, which provided insight into the practice of applied anthropology. This is a great spot for students to not only discuss their new ideas and insights. I look forward to working with the new Student Corner editor. Both Brian and Elizabeth and their colleagues have done an excellent job in enhancing the visibility of the work of student SfAA members, whose participation and involvement in the Society for Applied Anthropology is essential for the present and the future of our organization.
