Abstract
I faced this Presidential Address to the American Association of Immunologists with both humility and enthusiasm. Humility toward the responsibility, and enthusiasm for being able to speak without immediate rebuttal. I realized I would speak in the Bicentennial Year … the Bicentennial of our country, which can be viewed also as a Bicentennial of Immunology. It seemed appropriate to present an overview of our surging discipline and to analyze its origin and future. I considered and discarded several titles. “Milestones of Progress in Immunology”, for example, seemed both trite (because this year everyone is speaking of milestones), and also overwhelming. We have come too far too fast to permit comprehensive coverage. I decided to try to present an overview from my personal perspective and to inscribe a series of “runestones” to mark the progress of the exciting travels I see as being particularly important in the development of our discourse. Figure 2A and B are photographs of Runestones.
