In Memoriam: Professor Fred Bosselman

The IIT Chicago-Kent community is deeply saddened by the recent death of Professor Emeritus Fred Bosselman, an extraordinary teacher, colleague and friend. Fred passed away August 4.

A scholar and practitioner of energy and environmental law, Fred joined our faculty in 1991. Earlier, Fred was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Ross & Hardies and later practiced in Florida with the firm of Burke, Bosselman & Weaver. Fred was a graduate of the University of Colorado and Harvard Law School.

Fred was a giant in the area of land use and energy law scholarship. He was co-author of the casebook Energy, Economics and the Environment (Foundation Press 2006) and the books The Role of Customary Law in Sustainable Development (Cambridge University Press 2005) and Managing Tourism Growth (Island Press 1999).

Fred was a member of the boards of the Sonoran Institute and the Santa Lucia Conservancy and earlier served on the board of directors of the National Audubon Society and as president of the American Planning Association.

At Chicago-Kent, Fred taught courses and seminars in Energy Law, Property, Environmental Law and Policy, Biodiversity and Conservation, and Climate Change, imparting his love of law and property doctrine to a generation of students. Fred's command of his subject and his impeccable professionalism inspired scores of Chicago-Kent students to pursue careers in environmental and energy law.

Professor Dan Tarlock, Fred's friend and colleague for almost 30 years, comments: "I had the privilege of collaborating with Fred both in scholarship and in practice and cannot begin to describe how much I learned from him about the craft of practice and scholarship. I know I speak for all his colleagues in the natural resources and environmental community; his death is an irreplaceable loss."

Fred will be missed at IIT Chicago-Kent. We extend our condolences to Fred's wife, Kay, and to his three children. Services for Fred will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, August 25, at the Women's Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago Ave. in Evanston.

Chicago-Kent Memorial Service Information

Please join us for a memorial service honoring Professor Fred Bosselman on Wednesday, October 9, at 5 p.m. in IIT Chicago-Kent's Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Courtroom. A reception will follow the service in the front lobby at 6 p.m.