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Melvyn Hammarberg, Anthropology

Melvyn Hammarberg, a retired associate professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and consulting curator at Penn Museum, died on December 10. He was 78.

Dr. Hammarberg was a cultural anthropologist who conducted research on American civilization with a particular focus on issues of individual identity and group cohesion.

He joined Penn in 1970 as an instructor of American civilization in the School of Arts & Sciences, and became assistant professor in the same year. He held positions in the departments of English language, political science and anthropology. He also held positions in the College of General Studies, now known as LPS.

He received the CGS Distinguished Teaching Award, which honors outstanding teaching and advising, in 2002 (Almanac April 16, 2002).

He retired in 2008 as an associate professor (Almanac May 27, 2008) and elected not to use the emeritus title modifier.

He was author of the book The Indiana Voter: Historical Dynamics of Party Allegiance during the 1870s. He developed the Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, a widely used instrument for measuring the strength of PTSD symptoms.

He is survived by his wife, Hong; his children, Kerstin (Lisa Borneman), Marc (Craig Rosenfeld) and Erik (Leslie Levito); their mother, Carol; his grandchildren, Niko and Logan; and his siblings, Linda Willette (Brian), Jon Hammarberg (Ruth) and Paul Hammarberg (Porat).

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; Gustavus Adolphus College; public radio; or the charity of donor’s choice.

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