Remembering Bobby Lipkin

I remember Bobby Lipkin very fondly as a founding member of the Ratio Juris weblog. He was thrilled to discover the joys of blogging and soon founded his own blog, Essentially Contested America. These new channels for communication gave him a voice and an immediacy unique to online media. Bobby mastered this craft and quickly developed a devoted following.

As so often happens in our wired world, Bobby and I never personally met. I regret that I never even heard his voice on the telephone. We nevertheless enjoyed a rich professional relationship. Frankly, his e-mail correspondence and his blog posts were so vivid that he always seemed near. Bobby loved his family, including his cats. His posts about the loss of a cat to tainted food were among his most moving contributions to Ratio Juris and Essentially Contested America.

Bobby Lipkin touched so many lives, within his family, his circle of friends, his students, and the academic community. I valued his friendship and will miss him.