Rogier's Love of Animals

One thing I remember most about Rogier was his love of animals--and particularly dogs. When we were together on the Cornell campus he would often stop and shout "look at the squirrel! Aren't they cute"--with the joy of a child almost in his voice. It was incredibly endearing. Sometimes "look at the bunny!" or "see those geese!" would be followed by how tasty they might be in a red wine sause, or some other joke, but his genuine adoration for animals was always clear.

.

When I visited Rogier in South Africa in 2009 I discovered that everyone there had dogs--some for love, and some for security, but Rogier insisted on stopping and petting every dog we came across, or saving scraps and treats for his neighbour’s dog. When going over to dinner at his friend Liz's house he always made sure to pick up some dog treats for her four pooches--whom he loved and would often email me pictures of out of the blue--along with his ingredients for dinner.

While in Capetown I had to beg Rogier to take me to see the African "Jackass" Penguins near Kalk Bay, and he suggested we just go see them at the aquarium, which would give us more time for wine tasting. But I finally got my way and he took me out to see the penguins on the beach and had to admit they were "pretty cute."