Recapturing the essence of criminalistics.

Introduction I am deeply honored to have been asked to present this Founders' Lecture. The California Association of Criminalists is truly the pioneering organization in this field. It has led in all critical areas. These have included the fostering of scientific information exchange, the development of a code of ethics, and the leading of the certification effort. A few weeks after having accepted the invitation from John De Haan and after mulling my ideas for the lecture over in my mind, I was very pleased to learn that the theme of the seminar was "Back to Basics7'. The fit between my germinating ideas for the lecture and this overall seminar theme was excellent. I have been presenting lectures on this general topic and expressing similar concerns for several years. It is refreshing to know that I am not alone. This having been said, it seems strange for me to be doing this. It is hard to believe that I am sage or even ancient enough to present The Founders' Lecture. Clearly, there has been a mistake, but you will note, my protestations notwithstanding, that my ego was too great to allow me to decline the invitation. In addition, I could not forgo the opportunity to air my views in such a time-honored forum.