Author, Professor Vern Bullough dies

Scholar, author, and sexologist Vern Bullough died on June 21, 2006, after a brief illness. He was 78. He was a stalwart humanist and a dedicated member of CSICOP, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Center for Inquiry. He had devoted himself to humane causes all during his life and was considered one of the leading authorities in the world on the history of sex and the nature of gender. He was a tireless advocate of civil liberties and the rights of minorities, including gays, lesbians, and transgendered persons.

The author or editor of over fifty books, including Sexual Attitudes: Myths and Realities, with Bonnie Bullough, and hundreds of articles, he was renowned in several areas of human interest, including history, sexology, nursing, and liberal religion. Bullough was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University at Buffalo, an Outstanding Professor Emeritus at California State University, a past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex, a former dean of the Faculty of Natural and Social Sciences at Dean at Buffalo State College, and one of the founders of the American Association for the History of Nursing. His SKEPTICAL INQUIRER articles included "Therapeutic Touch: Why Do Nurses Believe?" (with Bonnie Bullough, Winter 1993) and "Spirit Rapping Unmasked: An 1851 Investigation and its Aftermath" (Fall 1985).

Bullough served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Inquiry since its inception and was personally involved in its outreach. He accompanied the CFI Explorers Club on a cruise to Alaska in early June and presented a paper on board. An article based on those remarks will be published in Free Inquiry magazine.

Bullough was one of the leading secular humanists in North America and the world and was a liberal voice for the right of self-determination, tolerance, and dignity. He leaves his current wife, Gwen Brewer (Professor Emeritus, University of California), and four children.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning