A Tribute to My Colleague, Paul G. Hiebert

Abstract

Upon receiving word of my esteemed colleague Paul Hiebert’s homegoing, I recalled my very first acquaintance with another anthropologist of repute, but of a very different kind.  That particular anthropologist condescended to present some lectures in my initial course on the subject at the university.   Were I to mention his name, many of my readers would immediately recognize it, but I will refrain from doing so because of the incident that also came to mind.  One day, after expatiating on the Piltdown finding (the hoax was as yet undisclosed) he closed his lecture with a wide grin by saying, “And if you want still more evidence for our evolution from prehistoric ancestors such as this, I simply invite you to take another look at my own physiognomy!”  For the majority of the class it was not a new idea.  Nevertheless, I dare say that no one expected him to reinforce it verbally!