Remembering Dr. Brian Bequette

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources lost a dedicated faculty member when Dr. Brian Bequette, an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, September 16th.

Those who knew Bequette well – his colleagues and students -- say his passion, optimism, and smiling, approachable personality will live on through the people he worked with, instructed, mentored and inspired.

“Dr. B, as he liked to be called, was always full of enthusiasm, not just for his class material but also for his students in general,” said Monica Capella, who served as Bequette’s teaching assistant. “He had an amazing way of remembering students that he had taught several years beforehand and made sure to keep himself up to date on their lives. My favorite quality about him was that he was always honest.  He shared stories about his mistakes with students to show them that he could relate to their struggles and hoped to help them learn from his past.”

Capella also recalled Bequette’s somewhat mischievous side. “He told me that for Maryland Day, he used to sneak up to the ANSC building before the “Kiss the Pig” faculty drawing and secretly put money into other people’s envelopes so he wouldn’t have to kiss the pig,” Capella said. “This last Maryland Day, he didn’t have time to pull off his trick and ended up having to kiss the pig.  I don’t think he minded too much though.  He was a born and raised farm boy.”

“He had this sort of boyish excitement whenever he got interesting data or read a particularly fascinating article.  When that happened, he couldn't wait to come to my office to tell me about it,” said Leslie Juengst, Bequette’s graduate student advisee. “He didn't pass a day without stopping by my office, and it was just as likely that he'd come in to belt out the refrain to "Rocket Man" as he was to sit and chat science.”

"I recently received some grant money, and I will never forget Brian's reaction to me telling him in person about it. He was so happy for me and my lab," Dr. Lisa Taneyhill, a fellow assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Avain Sciences, said. "Also, he always knew that our lab meetings were on Wednesdays at 1:30pm, and if he arrived to the meeting at that time he would be able to steal a cookie or two from us!"

While Bequette certainly found time to have some fun, he took his job very seriously.

“You could tell he truly cared about his students,” recent animal science graduate, Lorenza Cavalier, said. “When I was applying to internships Dr. Bequette was kind enough to write me recommendations, and I have him to thank for getting accepted to work at the National Zoo this fall.”

Bequette was also known to pop into a class or two just to see how his advisees were doing.

“I think in the science fields, teaching and mentoring take a back seat to publications and grants for faculty members.  Sometimes they're so far in the back they're non-existent.  Dr. Bequette wasn't like that,” Juengst said.  

"Personally, he looked out for me and my lab," Dr. Taneyhill said. "I always thought he had my best interest at heart."

Whether inside or outside of the classroom, Bequette’s co-workers and students say he leaves behind a multitude of lasting impacts.

“Even though the time I spent working with him was cut short, I will always value the lessons I have learned from him,” Capella said. “I think the most important thing he taught me was that learning is not the process of memorizing as much material as you can.  It’s finding that one small piece of the material that strikes you, that puts you into a state of awe.  Once you find that, you begin researching it and gaining more knowledge, not simply because it’s what you’re told to do by a teacher or society, but because you want to, because it has changed the way you view your world.”