Priceless Memories - Bob Barker [87]
For instance, I have established endowment funds for the study of animal rights law at eight of the finest law schools in the country: Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, Duke, Northwestern, UCLA, Stanford, and the University of Virginia. My thinking is that some background in animal law would be useful if, as lawyers, these graduates have cases involving animals. Of course, having studied animal law would prove to be equally valuable if they became judges.
Many, if not a majority, of the members of Congress have a legal background, and it is with legislation that we can make great strides in protecting animals. Our present federal, state, and local laws are inadequate, and frequently they are not stringently enforced. Hopefully, graduates of these eight law schools who go into politics will be inspired to introduce legislation helpful to the long-suffering animals. Incidentally, these endowment funds have not only been gratefully applauded by animal rights activists, but have been very positively reviewed by the legal community.
Since my retirement, I have established a unique endowment fund at my alma mater, Drury University, in Springfield, Missouri, for the study of animal rights. I am glad to be able to give this money to Drury because when I was there, I didn’t have fifteen cents to spare. To the best of my knowledge, it is the first such endowment fund at an undergraduate school in the United States. I had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Patricia A. McEachern, who is also deeply devoted to animals. In addition to being an associate professor of French, Dr. McEachern is now director of the Drury University Forum on Animal Rights. She took on the responsibility of planning the course down to the smallest detail and carefully choosing the faculty members who will teach this interdepartmental class.
There will be six professors teaching animal ethics from a variety of angles, including religion, philosophy, environment, criminology, biology, and law. The course will count toward fulfilling ethics course requirements. It will also include seminars, conferences, and symposiums. Various animal rights experts and scholars have already been contacted, and have expressed interest and willingness to be visiting lecturers.
I am delighted to report that Dr. McEachern is already receiving inquiries from other universities and colleges that are interested in adding similar courses to their curricula.
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Now that I am retired, I am devoting even more time to the DJ&T Foundation, too. When I was taping Price, I often spent the morning working on foundation business before I went to the studio, but now I have more time for the foundation. And I need it because the scope of the foundation is growing by leaps and bounds—of happy dogs, that is!
We have organizations receiving grants in every state in the union and multiple organizations in most states. Individuals and organizations across the country tell us that we are making a positive difference in reducing the tragic problem of animal overpopulation, and the beauty of it is that the DJ&T Foundation will go right on making a positive difference long after I am gone. Animal rights of every description are gaining momentum at a veritable tsunami rate!
Oprah Winfrey featured an exposé of puppy mills on her hugely popular television show, and the repercussions continue today. Oprah, in a matter of minutes on her show, did more to raise awareness of the puppy mill horror than anyone else thus far. Let’s hear it for Oprah!
And let’s hear it for Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and Councilman Tony Cardenas! Councilman Alarcon introduced and Councilman Cardenas seconded an ordinance that requires that dogs and cats be spayed or neutered in the city of Los Angeles.
I was pleased to be able to lend a hand in getting the ordinance passed. Los Angeles is