Barker Gives HLS $500,000 Gift

Harvard Law School (HLS) received a gift of $500,000 to establish the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights earlier this month.

Barker, the host of CBS’s “The Price is Right,” is famous for his tag line, “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.”

Barker presented the gift to HLS Dean Robert C. Clarke in a ceremony on June 13, on behalf of Pearson Television to honor Barker’s three decades as host of “The Price is Right,” which it produces.

The fund will be used to enhance the classroom instruction and research of animal rights law at the Harvard Law School.

“This fund will allow our faculty and students to explore in depth an emerging field of law that has ramifications in many traditional legal areas,” Clark said.

Already, HLS has been on the cutting edge of animal rights law. Its first course regarding animal rights was offered during the Spring 2000 semester. The course was taught by Prof. Steven M. Wise, who authored “Rattling the Cage,” widely considered the ‘bible’ of the animal rights movement.

For his part, Barker has been a major supporter of the animal rights movement. As an indication of his ongoing commitment to this cause, he urges viewers to spay or neuter their pets at the end of each show.

In keeping with his campaign to help relieve animal overpopulation, Barker established the Beverly Hills-based DJ&T Foundation to fund free and low-cost spay/neuter clinics and subsidize voucher programs.

Barker’s actions have continually reflected his strong convictions. He has refused to do commercials for a frozen food company, a cosmetics manufacturer, and a fast food chain because these businesses were allegedly involved in animal cruelty.

In 1988, Barker resigned as the host of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because of the use of fur coats as prizes. He also cited alleged animal cruelty as the reason for his resignation as host of “The Patsy Awards.”

—Samira M. Azarin contributed to the reporting of this story.