BULLOUGH, Vern 1928-2006
(Vern LeRoy Bullough)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born July 24, 1928, in Salt Lake City, UT; died of cancer, June 21, 2006, in Thousand Oaks, CA. Social scientist, historian, activist, educator, and author. Bullough was a preeminent authority on the history of sexual issues. He first became interested in the topic while in high school, after meeting his future wife's mother, who was a lesbian. The subject fascinated him, but having grown up in a Mormon community, he knew he could not study it at school. Therefore, after service in the U.S. Army's Security Agency, he worked for the Desert News in Salt Lake City. Then, he went to the University of Utah to study history. He completed a B.A. in 1951, and did his graduate study at the University of Chicago, completing an M.A. in 1951 and a Ph.D. in 1954. After graduating, he was an associate professor of history at Youngstown University for five years, then moved on to California State University at Northridge in 1959. Bullough's first book, The History of Prostitution, was released in 1964. This was followed by several other history titles, such as Man in Western Civilization (1970) and The Scientific Revolution (1970), before he returned to his interest in sexual practices in society with Sex, Society, and History (1976). Thereafter, with a few exceptions, his books would remain focused on similar subjects. While at Northridge, Bullough was the founder and director of the Center for Sex Research and created, with his wife, the Vern and Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender, an extensive library on sexual history. He also became an activist for gay and lesbian rights, pushing the American Civil Liberties Union to do more for homosexuals in its political agenda, and serving on the ACLU's board. He left Northridge in 1980 to teach at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was also dean of natural and social sciences through the 1980s. He retired in 1993. As a researcher and author, Bullough explored many topics on human sexuality, including homosexuality, pornography, transgender issues, birth control, and women's studies. The winner of many prizes and fellowships for his work, including the Distinguished Humanist Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union and a President's Award from California State University, Bullough was the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous other publications. Among his titles are Sin, Sickness, and Sanity: A History of Sexual Attitudes (1977), Homosexuality: A History (1979), Prostitution and Society (1987), Science in the Bedroom: A History of Sex Research (1994), and the coedited Encyclopedia of Birth Control (2001). He also wrote books on medieval and medical history.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, July 5, 2006, section 2, p. 12.

Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2006, p. B13.

New York Times, July 3, 2006, p. A15.