Scope and Content Note
The papers of Patricia Grinager (1918-1999) span the years 1870-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1975 to 1982. The collection primarily comprises reference materials compiled by Grinager in the writing of her book, Uncommon Lives: My Lifelong Friendship with Margaret Mead.
Materials include correspondence, notes, publications, clippings, photographic materials, and typed transcriptions of lectures and interviews, chiefly related to Margaret Mead, but also to Mead’s family members, friends, colleagues, and romantic partners. Also present in the collection are a substantial number of photocopied letters and notes collected from archival repositories across the country, many of which are from the Margaret Mead Papers and South Pacific Ethnographic Archives at the Library of Congress. Some of these photocopied materials are annotated by Grinager or are arranged along with her related notes. Grinager’s collected research details the majority of Mead’s life, including her childhood and family, education, career, subject areas of interest and fieldwork, and her general demeanor and temperament. Additionally, a small amount of materials relate to Grinager’s own education and career as an anthropologist and educator.