Becoming respectable: T. Dale Stewart and the acceptance of forensic anthropology in the academic community

Before World War II, forensic anthropology was of peripheral interest to a few anthropologists willing to assist in investigations by law enforcement agencies. A strong bias that "police work" was unbecoming to the scholarly pursuits of academics persisted into the post-war years. Changes took place as a consequence of T. Dale Stewart's case work in the identification of h uman remains with the FBI from 1943 to 1969, his directorship of the Nation al Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) beginning in 1962, a nd his work with the Armed Forces after 1948. This paper discusses the hist oric period of transition of attitudes and practices in the contexts of Ste wart's contributions and the cases and teaching programs of one of his cont emporaries, Theodore D. McCown at the University of California at Berkeley, during the period of 1939 to 1969. The establishment of the Physical Anthr opology Section within the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 1972 an d the creation of the T. Dare Stewart award for distinguished service in fo rensic anthropology advanced those laboratory research programs and medical -legal investigations conducted by present-day forensic anthropologists.