Bernard Rollin (1943-2021)
Bernard “Bernie” Elliot Rollin, professor emeritus of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University, has died.
[Bernard Rollin. Photo by V. Richard Haro.]
An obituary for Rollin notes he was “considered by many the ‘father of veterinary medical ethics'”:
He taught the first ever course on the subject, and fundamentally changed the way veterinarians are taught and how they practice. He co-wrote the 1982 federal laws that enforce humane treatment of animals in research. As a consequence, he has been described as the person “who alleviated more animal pain than anyone in history.”
Rollin joined the Colorado State Department of Philosophy in 1969. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and his undergraduate degree from City College of New York.
He died on Friday, November 19th, 2021.
Obituaries elsewhere:
He was a very kind person and wonderful scholar.
Sorry to hear this. I didn’t know him personally, but I saw him speak at conferences and he was a very engaging speaker. As a fellow animal ethicist, I have also made much use of his work.
Bernie was my colleague and was truly one of a kind. Here is an informative obituary from CSU that provides some sense for what kind of person he was.
https://source.colostate.edu/remembering-veterinary-ethics-pioneer-and-university-distinguished-professor-bernie-rollin/