Gordon M. Shepherd

1933 - 2022

Gordon M. Shepherd
Gordon M. Shepherd, Hamden resident for 55 years, died peacefully on June 9, 2022, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was born in 1933 in Ames, Iowa to Geoffrey Seddon Shepherd and Eleanor Murray Shepherd. He was a Professor of Neuroscience at Yale University since 1967, and also served as Deputy Provost for Science, retiring in 2019. His prolific work, with over 300 articles and eight books, was recognized with many awards and focused on brain organization. He pioneered the study of neurogastronomy and neuroenology, connecting our sense of smell and activity in our brain with our experience of both food and wine.
Work and family were central to his life. He will be deeply missed by his wife Grethe Shepherd; son Gordon M.G. Shepherd; daughters Kirsten Shepherd-Barr and Lisbeth Shepherd; seven grandchildren, three siblings, and an international network of friends, family, former students, and colleagues.
Known for his wisdom and gentle sense of humor and often called a Renaissance man, Gordon's curiosity and passion for learning extended beyond science to all the humanities and arts and especially poetry. Widely traveled, he cherished the summerhouse that he and Grethe built in Denmark. He became fluent in Danish and spent summers with family there.
A memorial is planned at Yale in the fall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gordon's name to: The Connecticut Audubon Society (www.ctaudubon.org), PLAN International (www.plan-international.org), or the American Indian College Fund (www.collegefund.org). To send condolences to the Shepherd family, please see obituary at www.beecherandbennett.com.