Ralph Bolton, Ph.D. '72 in the field of anthropology, is the 2010 recipient of the Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology for "exceptional contributions to the anthropological community and to the public with respect to the breadth of scientific knowledge that goes beyond traditional anthropology."

Bolton has been a professor at Pomona College for the last four decades. He is recognized for his detailed ethnographic research and strong cross-cultural comparisons. He blends traditional qualitative participant-observation techniques with sophisticated quantitative methodologies that elucidate his findings.

Bolton's philanthropic activities include local, national and international work with ethnic minorities and immigrants from the United States, Peru and Western Europe; and HIV-positive and AIDS patients. For example, he founded the Chijnaya Foundation, a nonprofit, private organization, for which he has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars to improve the well-being of rural residents in the southern Peruvian highlands, with projects in education, agriculture, health and artisan development.