Rynn Berry

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rynn Berry
New York Methodist Hospital, New York City, New York, USA
OccupationAuthor, activist
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania, Columbia University
GenreHistory and biography, short plays
SubjectVegetarianism and veganism

Rynn Berry (January 31, 1945 – January 9, 2014) was an

American author and scholar on vegetarianism and veganism,[1] as well as a pioneer in the animal rights and vegan movements.[2]

Early life

Berry was born on January 31, 1945, in

He became vegetarian as a teenager and

rawfooder in 1994.[6]

Career

Berry taught

New School for Social Research in New York City.[6] He was a scholar of vegetarian history, and wrote a number of books, plays, and other works on this subject.[7] Richard H. Schwartz, founder of Jewish Veg, called his fourth book, the 2004 work, Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover (with an introduction by Lantern Books's co-founder Martin Rowe) a "thoughtful and carefully documented book."[8] A frequent international lecturer,[9][10][11] Berry's books have been translated into many languages, and he was locally and internationally known in the vegan community.[12][13]

Berry also wrote the entry on the history of vegetarianism in America for the

raw food movement for Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets.[17]

He was also on the advisory boards of

EarthSave,[18] the American Vegetarian Association, and historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian Society.[19] He was an honored member of the American Vegan Society Speakers Bureau, instructor at Victoria Moran's Main Street Academy.[20] Berry also contributed to the animal rights movement in Brazil, where he frequently lectured both in English (with a translator) and in Portuguese.[21]

Famous Vegetarians

One of Berry's most notable works, Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles,

Swami Prabhupada.[24] A review published in Vegetarian Times, considered Famous Vegetarians "scholarship at the end of a fork – and for writing it, he deserves an 'A'."[22] In Religious Vegetarianism: From Hesiod to the Dalai Lama, Kerry S. Walters and Lisa Portmess said that Berry's book is "a twentieth-century parallel" to Howard Williams's classic The Ethics of Diet.[25] In his book The Vegetarian Revolution, Giorgio Cerquetti recommended "everybody to read Rynn Berry's excellent book."[26]

Death and legacy

Berry lived alone in an apartment in Prospect Park. He was an enthusiastic amateur runner, despite having asthma.[27]

He was found collapsed and unconscious in jogging clothes in Prospect Park in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, on December 31, 2013,[27] but not identified until January 7, 2014.[28] The only clues in his pockets were "keys and an asthma inhaler".[29] He never regained consciousness and died at 12:30 pm on January 9, 2014.[27]

Martin Rowe, author and co-founder of Lantern Books, commented on Berry's death:

"Rynn's impact was literally incalculable, given how many met him, bought his books, or talked with him at the Union Square green market over the many years. He was the epitome of the kind of unheralded grassroots activist without which any movement for change cannot grow, and he was a witty and erudite figure: the

Dr. Johnson of the vegetarian movement. He would be missed greatly, even by those who never met him, but his work will live on."[30]

Author Chef Fran Costigan wrote that Berry was "a gentle soul whose life touched so many."[31]

His life was celebrated publicly and outdoors on March 30, 2014, for about thirty minutes, at the annual Veggie Pride Parade in New York City. On July 5, 2014, he was honored at the annual NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a plenary led by vegan activist and author Victoria Moran. In previous years, Berry had been on the staff of Vegetarian Summerfest as a scholar and speaker on veganism and world religions.[32]

“The Rynn Berry Jr. Papers” are housed in the North Carolina State University Libraries’ Special Collections and Research Center.[7]

Bibliography of published writings

See also

References

  1. ^ "Heritage Radio Network: Pythagoras' Other Theorem: A Short History of Vegetarianism". Huffingtonpost.com. 2013-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  2. ^ "Rynn Berry, Pioneer in Vegetarianism and Veganism, Has Died". The Daily Meal. 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  3. ^ "RYNN BERRY JR's Obituary on New York Times". New York Times. 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  4. ^ "Rynn Berry". vegsource.com.
  5. ^ Jon Wynne-Tyson, The Extended Circle: A Dictionary of Humane Thought, Centaur Press, 2009, p. 18.
  6. ^ a b It's Easier To Be Green, the New York Times, 2001-04-08
  7. ^ a b c Abraham, Laura (2018-03-09). "Discovering Treasures While Processing the Rynn Berry, Jr. Papers". North Carolina State University Libraries. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  8. ^ "Judaism and Vegetarianism: Book Review, "Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover"". www.jewishveg.org.
  9. ^ "World Vegetarian Congress 2000 - Rynn Berry". International Vegetarian Union. 2000-07-17. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  10. ^ "World Vegetarian Congress - Edinburgh, Scotland, Summer 2002 - Rynn Berry". Ivu.org. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  11. ^ "Rynn Berry". Living-foods.com. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  12. ^ "Pals of Runner Who Collapsed in Prospect Park Seek His Good Samaritans". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
  13. Go Vegan Radio with Bob Linden
    . Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  14. .
  15. ^ "Rynn Berry". Americanvegan.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  16. ^ "Palestra de Rynn Berry apresenta os motivos que levaram Da Vinci a adotar o vegetarianismo - ANDA - Agência de Notícias de Direitos Animais". ANDA - Agência de Notícias de Direitos Animais. January 23, 2010.
  17. ^ "Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition: Recommended Reading". One Green PlanetOne Green Planet. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  18. ^ "Welcome to the Triangle Vegetarian Society". www.trianglevegsociety.org.
  19. ^ "NAVS | North American Vegetarian Society". Navs-online.org. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  20. ^ Zukowski, John A. (2014-01-09). "Ten Questions with Victoria Moran: Food Ethics, Spirituality, the Religion of Pop Culture and More". Spiritual Pop Culture. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  21. ^ Gentil e generoso, Rynn Berry contribuiu muito para o movimento animalista no Brasil Archived 2014-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ a b Vegetarian Times, Fev 1991, p. 76.
  23. ^ William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in South Asia / Indian Subcontinent (1656–2010), Soyinfo Center, 2010, p. 828.
  24. ^ Shurtleff and Aoyagi, Op. cit., p. 865.
  25. ^ Kerry S. Walters and Lisa Portmess, Religious Vegetarianism: From Hesiod to the Dalai Lama, State University of New York Press, 2001, p. 194.
  26. ) p. viii.
  27. ^ a b c Yee, Vivian. The New York Times, January 9, 2013, "Jogger Found Unconscious in a Park Dies, but Not Before Being Identified".
  28. ^ "Mystery Prospect Park Jogger Identified as Vegan Author". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014.
  29. ^ Braunstein, Mark Mathew, 2014 (Spring), "Tribute to Rynn Berry", Vegetarian Voice
  30. ^ Edmundson, John (2014-01-09). "Rynn Berry left us a few hours ago - The Veggie Blog". The Veggie Blog. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  31. ^ Bakija, Mary (2014-01-10). "Rynn Berry, Jogger Who Collapsed In Prospect Park, Has Died". BKLYNER. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  32. ^ Program for Veggie Pride Parade, March 30, 2014
  33. YouTube

External links