Everett V. Stonequist

Everett V. Stonequist chaired the Skidmore College Department of Sociology from 1930 to 1970. He was perhaps best known for his 1937 book, The Marginal Man, which called attention to the problems experienced by people making transitions between different cultures, and specifically to pressures felt by minority and ethnic group members in American society. The book is generally credited with laying groundwork for later studies of "marginal" ethnic and occupational groups.

Dr. Stonequist was a well-known figure in Saratoga Springs as a leader on the city's planning commission and housing authority. His work led to the construction of the Jefferson Terrace Apartments, which provides low-cost housing to local residents, and the Stonequist Apartments senior citizen complex. He chaired the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority for almost 30 years and was a technical consultant and planner for the city planning board for 19 years. Dr. Stonequist was a popular speaker who was widely sought by high school groups and civic, social, and religious organizations.

Born in Worcester, Mass., October 5, 1901, Dr. Stonequist earned an A.B. degree in History and Sociology at Clark University, and later studied at Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Paris before receiving a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Chicago in 1930.

After joining the Skidmore faculty, Dr. Stonequist took several leaves from the college to teach and conduct research at the University of Hawaii, Duke University, and the University of Missouri. During World War II, he served as chairman of the National War Labor Board in Albany, New York, and Director of the Research Division of the Office of War Information in Washington, D.C.

Among the honors conferred upon Dr. Stonequist were his selection in 1965 as the Faculty Research Lecturer, the highest honor given by the College faculty, and an honorary doctorate from Skidmore in 1972.

In addition, Dr. Stonequist was honored in 1970 by Union College in Schenectady for his contributions to the area of race relations. Dr. Stonequist's expertise and areas of research included wartime Japanese-Americans, the problems of Jews living in primarily Gentile areas, and conditions in Ethiopia, Cyprus, Egypt, Kenya, Jordan, and Israel.

Commenting on Dr. Stonequist's death on March 26, 1979, Skidmore President Joseph C. Palamountain Jr. noted that Professor Stonequist was "a mighty oak whose shadow extended to Skidmore, Saratoga Springs, and the discipline of sociology. His appointment to the Skidmore faculty evidenced the young college's ambitious aspiration for quality, for his great work, The Marginal Man, was to become one of the seminal books of this century."

In 1980 Dr. Stonequist's family and friends established the Everett V. Stonequist Award, given annually to a graduating senior who has shown outstanding interest and achievement in the study of sociology at Skidmore. The recipient, whose interest and grades in sociology are among the award criteria, is selected by the faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work.

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