Who's Who

MSU Sociologist Vanderpool Commemorated

On April 19, 2002, an MSU Department of Sociology conference room was officially named in honor of the late Christopher Vanderpool, professor of sociology. The Christopher K. Vanderpool Conference Room commemorates the life and career of a department colleague who died suddenly June 25, 2001 at the age of 58.

Vanderpool was a long-time core faculty member of MSU's African Studies Center and the Center for Advanced Study of International Development. He published widely, served on many committees and boards at MSU and in professional organizations. His international involvements included research on marine technical assistance needs of Gulf and Caribbean nations (1975), research on social change on the Libyan coast (1975), survey and research design assistance related to fisheries and agricultural productivity in Senegal (1986-87), and social impact assessment related to seafood safety in Australia (1999).

Born June 3, 1943, in Chicago, Vanderpool earned his Ph.D. in sociology from MSU in 1970. He taught at the University of Denver before joining the MSU sociology faculty in 1972. He was chair of the Department of Sociology from 1990 to 1999. Within the university, his research interests in environmental sociology and food safety led to a shared appointment in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and collaborations with MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.