In Memoriam

Professor Robert Kent (’49) taught at BU Law for 31 years

Professor Robert B. Kent (’49), who served on the BU Law faculty for 31 years, passed away on February 5, 2015. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2015, at 1 p.m. at First Parrish Church, 7 Harrington Road, Lexington, MA.

As a student at BU Law, Kent served as editor-in-chief of the Boston University Law Review. After graduation, he worked in private practice for two years, before returning to the law school as a faculty member. Professor Kent taught civil procedure to generations of students over three decades, and was honored with a Silver Shingle Award for service to the school.

In 2007, School of Law Campaign Chair Richard C. Godfrey (’79), who had been a student in Kent’s class, endowed a professorship in his former teacher’s name: Read the full story in The Record.

Professor Kent served as dean of the University of Zambia Law School for two years. He authored the comprehensive treatise, Rhode Island Practice: Rule of Civil Procedure, which was published in 1969. From 1981 to 1992, he was a professor at Cornell University Law School, where he taught civil procedure, constitutional law, and alternative dispute resolution. He was also a distinguished visiting professor at Roger Williams University School of Law from 1997 to 2001.

Reported by Johanna Gruber (CAS’17).