Erik Erikson was one of the most extraordinary psychoanalysts our field has seen. Central among his legacies was his profound understanding of the generativity that makes life, even after death, something ongoing. So it is his ongoing life—in particular the ongoing power of his writings and ideas—that I will focus on as I address his contributions to our understanding of bodies, gender and development. However, I want to focus on something else as well: the ongoing power not just of Erikson's ideas but also of his remarkable personal presence. The two, I think, are related: Erikson's presence was crucial to his quality as a teacher, thinker, and clinical psychoanalyst. I want to make a point of that because I think there are some interesting things to be learned from the way in which Erikson's particular personal presence contributed not just to the extent of his influence, but also, I believe, to the actual nature of the ideas he chose to develop. (I probably also make a point of it because