Frederick Russell Eggan

1906 - 1991

    Frederick Russell Eggan was born on September 12, 1906 in Seattle, Washington to parents Alfred Julius Eggan and Olive M. Smith. In his early years he was an intelligent and active young man. He loved to explore his environment as well as travel to new places, near and far. Upon turning fifteen, Eggan enlisted with the U.S. Navy for a ten-year period. After his service and discharge, he went on to establish many businesses that proved to be unsuccessful for him.

    Eggan’s love of books and literature was seen early on in his life. His mother was a schoolteacher who taught him to work hard and value books. His appreciation for written works was amplified at age twelve when he was struck with typhoid fever. Unable to attend school for a full year, the public library became his place of comfort. This value was reflected greatly later in Eggan's life and he wood later make many valuable contributions to the world of anthropology. Eggan soon graduated from Deerfield Township High School. In his school years he showed much strength in the areas of mathematics, physics and chemistry and afterwards enrolled in the University of Chicago. His family worked hard to keep Eggan and his sister in school. The household made many cuts and even brought in boarders to help fund his education.

    At school Eggan would switch his major from business administration to psychology. In both fields he exposed himself to many topics of interest. Fred then took a class entitled “Peoples and Races” which sparked his interest in anthropology. Later as an undergraduate he and a friend, Cornelius Osgood, were invited to attend a work seminar on India where their first true works were put to the test. Though they were only introductory anthropology students, they survived the affair and were praised for their participation. In 1929, after a year of graduate work, Eggan wrote his thesis “An Experimental Study of Attitudes Toward Race and Nationality.” Finding little graduate work after changing his major, Fred tried a teaching position at Wentworth Junior College and Military Academy in Missouri. For two years he taught courses in sociology, psychology and history. Using the money he saved from his work at Wentworth, Eggan was able to continue his graduate work in anthropology.

    Later Fred Eggan spent many of his summers on different sites in midwestern United States. Focusing mainly on Indian mounds and villages he worked with other anthropologists on various excavations. During these works, he also attended Chicago University under professor Leslie Spier who helped kindle Eggan’s interests in Southwestern ethnology.

    In 1932 Eggan was chosen for a Laboratory of Anthropology gathering, which concentrated on field training in the area of ethnology. The fellowship spent most of its time among the Hopi. This time was cherished by Eggan who developed a lifetime relationship with the Hopi and helped develop our understanding of their culture. His research would lead him to a Ph.D. dissertation on the Western Pueblos and their social organization and nature. Fred continued to show interest and invest his time into the study of these North American peoples.

    From his research, Eggan composed a presidential address to the American Anthropological Association on the “Social Anthropology and the Method of Controlled Comparison" in 1954. In this work he displayed the theory and methods behind the comparative method used by anthropologists. This work also developed a classic milestone within his portfolio of documentation.

    Fred Eggan also made many contributions to the area of the Northen Philippines. The works in this area were often less published than his North American, but still hold the high level of thought reflected in his works. He collected a large amount of information on the cultures in northern Luzon and published a number of papers on this topic. Sometime thereafter, Eggan travelled to the Philippines when his then-current project was cancelled due to funding and a new gateway to Tinguian past was opened.

    Eggan had spent many years in the Abra Province of Luzon where he researched the social and cultural changes of Tinguian life. He continued to work along the Abra River spending the larger portion of his time in various Abra communities. A number of papers were the result of this time and research; one of the most important being “Some Aspects of Culture Change in the Northern Philippines” in 1941.

    In conjunction with his studies on the areas, he introduced the notion of cultural drift. Soon Eggan moved on to take a position at the university of Chicago as an instructor for a number of years. He also was Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and eventually a Professor for the school while establishing a close relationship with its peoples. Eggan married Dorothy Way in 1938. She attended his visiting the Hopi Reservation frequently and worked by his side doing field research. Dorothy also became noted for her work concerning the dreams of the Hopi.

    Eggan again continued field research in the Philippines from 1949 – 1950 where he became a Fulbright Research Scholar at the University of the Philippines. His work continued as he also supervised the Area Handbook on the Philippines, a four-part publication in 1956. In the 60’s Eggan was noted and esteemed as one of the finer senior anthropologists. His many contributions had been recognized as he was invited to speak at various lectures and gatherings. Many of his lectures were even published in The American Indian. He faced the loss of his wife, Dorthy, in 1965. He remarried Joan Rosenfels who has been noted for her beautiful work as a photographer and psychotherapist. Joan was especially recognized for her amazing photographs of anthropologists that she had taken over the years.

    In his retirement, Fred Eggan continued to show his dedication as he continued research on the Indians of the Southwest. His life had made him a mentor and figure to look up to from the eyes of up and coming anthropologists. On May 7, 1991 the world suffered the loss of Frederick Russell Eggan. His long and prosperous life of eighty-four years ended in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Eggan will always be remembered for his great contributions to anthropology. His studies of Native Americans in the Southwest and Philippine tribal culture are especially noted today.

References:

Marshall Sahlins. "Fred Eggan: History and Structure," Anthropology Today 8(Feb. 1992): 23-25.

Fred Eggan. "Among the Anthropologists," Annual Review of Anthropology 3(1974): 1-19.

"Frederick Russell Eggan, September 12, 1906—May 7, 1991 | By Evon Z. Vogt, Jr. |

http://www.nap.edu/ Biographical Memoirs" National Academy of Sciences: Biographical Memoirs

Written by: Matt VanderSluis