Biographical / Historical
Francoeur was born on October 18, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a B.A. in philosophy and and English at Sacred Heart College, in 1953; an M.A. in Catholic theology at St. Vincent College, in 1957; an M.S. in biology at University of Detroit,in 1961; a Ph.D. in experimental embryology at the University of Delaware, in 1967; and an A.C.S. in sexology from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, in 1979. Francoeur received the "Golden Brick Award" from the Center for Family Life Education for outstanding contributions to sexuality education in 2008, and was chosen by the German Society for Social-Sexuality Research to receive the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal for Sexual Reform in 2008.
Trained in embryology, evolution, theology, and the humanities, Francoeur's main work was to synthesize and integrate the findings of primary sexological researchers. He is the author of 22 books, contributor to 78 textbooks, handbooks, and encyclopedias, and the author of 58 technical papers on various aspects of sexuality. His books include The Scent of Eros: Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality (1995); Becoming a Sexual Person (1982, 1984, 1991); Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Human Sexuality (1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000); Utopian Motherhood: New Trends in Human Reproduction (1970, 1974, 1977); Eve's New Rib: 20 Faces of Sex, Marriage, and Family (1972); Hot and Cool Sex: Cultures in Conflict (1974); and The Future of Sexual Relations (1974). He is editor-in-chief of The Complete Dictionary of Sexology (1991, 1995); and the International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. A fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and past president of the Society's Eastern Region, he is also a charter member of the American College of Sexuality. He served as professor of biological and allied health sciences at Fairleigh Dickinson University, adjunct professor in the doctoral Program in Human Sexuality at New York University, and professor in the New York University “Sexuality in Two Cultures” program in Copenhagen.
Francoeur is credited with helping to introduce and popularize French philosopher and Jesuit priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, to American audiences. He wrote the forward to the first English translation of Teilhard's writing, "The Appearance of Man," in 1965. He founded The American Teilhard de Chardin Association in 1964, and served as its first president.
Sources: Wikipedia; and Obituary, "The Star-Ledger", Newark, New Jersey, 28 October 2012.
