In Memoriam: Herbert B. Roberts '49, lawyer and philanthropist
The Chicago-Kent community was saddened to learn of the recent
death of Herbert B. Roberts ‘49, a prominent patent attorney
and the founder and namesake of an endowed scholarship that helps
fund the legal education of Chicago-Kent students.
Mr. Roberts was a founding partner in the St. Louis patent law
firm of Haverstock, Garrett & Roberts, where he worked until
his death. Born near Decatur, Illinois, Mr. Roberts earned his bachelor’s
degree in mathematics and chemistry and worked as a chemist on the
Manhattan Project before attending law school.
As a litigator, Mr. Roberts concentrated his work on patents involving
chemistry. Because his firm represented several biotechnology companies,
Mr. Roberts was especially interested in the evolution of intellectual
property law in an increasingly global marketplace. In addition
to practicing law for more than 50 years, Mr. Roberts authored more
than 25 articles about the law for legal, scientific and general
interest publications.
Interviewed for Chicago-Kent’s alumnae/i magazine in 1999,
Mr. Roberts noted the importance of legal scholarship to his work
as a litigator. “In our profession, there is so much change
going on in dealing with biotechnology and computers that we often
refer to law review articles,” he said.
He referenced the work of Chicago-Kent’s Professor Lori Andrews
as directly relevant to some aspects of his work. “I’ve
quoted Professor Andrews about patenting transgenic animals,”
he said. “I’ve also used her work in my articles and to
answer questions about the ethics of scientific research and patenting
transgenic animals and plants.”
In addition to funding a major scholarship at Chicago-Kent, Mr.
Roberts was active in the Kiwanis Club and ran a large fund raiser
for the club’s Camp Wyman, which sponsors programs for low-income
and developmentally disabled children in St. Louis.
Mr. Roberts was an outstanding attorney and a man of considerable
character and optimism whose generosity to Chicago-Kent will help
create bright futures for many young people who could not otherwise
afford to go to law school. The Chicago-Kent community salutes Herb
Roberts’ 50 years of service to the legal profession. We extend
our sympathy to his wife, Julia, to his daughters, Wendy and Judy,
and to his three grandchildren.
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