Bob Francouer died this morning. Bob was trained as a philosopher, a biologist, and embryologist, and a Roman Catholic priest, and he brought all of that knowledge and passion for understanding the world around him to the field of sexology for more than forty years.
He authored twenty-two books (from The Scent of Eros: Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality to Utopian Motherhood: New Trends in Human Reproduction). He co-authored and edited many more, and perhaps most notably was the general editor of the International Encyclopedia of Sexuality.
I met Bob a few times in person at conferences but my only extended interaction with him had more to do with his experiences as a priest than as a sexologist. In 2000 I was doing research for a television documentary on celibacy in the priesthood and Bob was kind enough to talk with me for over an hour on the phone and then participate in the program in an interview we conducted at his home. Bob had been married in 1967 and his openness to discussing issues of sexuality in the culture of the Roman Catholic priesthood really made the program. My memory of him was as a warm, generous, and unassuming man who loved the forever unraveling mystery of human sexual experience.
I know that more detailed and personal remembrances will be forthcoming and I'll link to them as they appear. For now if you want to read more you can check out the Wikipedia page on Bob or better yet, honor his memory by learning something about sexuality today in the International Encyclopedia, which is available for free online at the link above.
**UPDATE: Bill Taverner, the executive director of the Center for Family Life Education shared these thoughts on Bob Francouer on the blog Sexuality Smarter.
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Cory,
There is a more up-to-date and complete edition of the Encyclopedia hosted on the Kinsey Institute website at
http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/ccies/index.php.
We were honored to work with Bob on getting the Encyclopedia up on the website where his work and that of his co-writers could be available to more scholars and the public for free.
He was a great scholar and will be missed.
Yours,
Marie Metelnick
Communications Assistant,
The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
So sorry to hear that Bob has died. Bob was a wonderful man – full of life, spirit, generosity, and good humor, as well as a brilliant scholar and tireless sex advocate. His essay, “The Religious Suppression of Eros,” was a great addition to “The Erotic Impulse,” the collection of essays I edited in 1992. His ability to bring his religious and spiritual perspectives to discussions of human sexuality was both thoughtful and refreshing. I will miss him both as a friend and as a commentator.