Esther Lucile Brown, who died in 1990 at the age of 92, was a social anthropologist at the Russell Sage Foundation for more than 30 years. Among her contributions were ground-breaking studies of the professions and stimulation of the development of medical social science. Her research on nursing stimulated professionalization and nursing education's move into the university. The accuracy of her research findings on nursing and psychosocial aspects of patient care led many to assume that she was a nurse. This memorial focuses on her contributions and personal impact on friends and colleagues.