Introducing: the Rosemary Flanigan Chair at the Center for Practical Bioethics

Terry Rosell, DMin, PhD named first Flanigan Chair; first lecture as chair set for September 23

September 3, 2009

“This chair idea I thought was so out of sight, and then you people started making it real.”

So said Sister Rosemary Flanigan on August 6, 2009, as she introduced the first holder of the chair that bears her name.

“I want a philosopher. I want someone young. I want someone with lots of energy and ideas and who can do ethics the way the Center does ethics,” Dr. Flanigan said.

Where to find such a person?

“Right under our noses,” she said. “I am very proud to name Terry Rosell as the first holder of this chair.”

Tarris Rosell, DMin, PhD

“This is a position for which I did not apply,” Dr. Rosell said, a program associate at the Center since 2004. “In fact, I was actively recruiting other people.”

Then one day in December 2008, Myra Christopher, Center president and CEO, walked into his office, shut the door and told Dr. Rosell that the Center board had voted to appoint him the first holder of the Rosemary Flanigan Chair.

“I am very cognizant of the fact that there are few things more precious, more weighty than one’s name,” Dr. Rosell said. “Now I have been entrusted with Rosemary Flanigan's name, and the reputation that accompanies it. I know how heavy a responsibility I bear, and will do so to the very best of my ability.”

Chair announced in 2006

The chair was announced during the 2006 Flanigan Lecture by Myra Christopher, president and CEO of the Center. "Sister Rosemary is beloved in Kansas City because of her intellect, humor, and unequaled energy," Christopher said. "She inspires others to do their work well."

"I am honored and humbled that the Center established a chair in my name," said Dr. Flanigan. "As issues in healthcare delivery become even more complex, there is renewed need for voices of reason grounded in values that respect human dignity. I’m confident Terry will occupy the chair and engage in civil, ethics-based discourse."

As the first Rosemary Flanigan Chair, Dr. Rosell will engage in both clinical and organizational bioethics and conduct public outreach. In addition, he will participate with the Center Board and leadership team in determining the Center's strategic direction.

The Center continues to accept donations to fund the endowment for the Flanigan Chair. For more information, contact Cindy Leyland at (816)979-1357 or email cleyland@practicalbioethics.org.

Links:

  • Video: Sister Rosemary introduces the first Flanigan Chair
  • Audio podcast: Sister Rosemary and Terry Rosell talk about the Flanigan Chair on The Bioethics Channel, August 7, 2009 13 minutes 57 seconds 
  • Endowment Contributors– August 2009
  • Sisters of Selma, Sister Rosemary’s participation in civil rights marches in Selma, Alabama
Sister Rosemary Flanigan