Elliot Liebow; Anthropologist Wrote ‘Tally’s Corner’

Elliot Liebow, 69, author, anthropologist and sociologist who wrote the landmark “Tally’s Corner.” The 1966 book was a study of black street corner society in Washington, D.C. He also wrote poetry and books for children. A native of Washington, Liebow dropped out of high school to join the Marines in World War II, but later earned a bachelor’s degree in English from George Washington University and a doctorate in anthropology from Catholic University. He worked for more than 25 years at the National Institute of Mental Health and was the Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle professor at Catholic University at the time of his death. On Sunday in Silver Spring, Md., of cancer.