La Sierra mourns passing of Brandstater Gallery founder

In a tribute to his brother during a January 26 gallery artists’ reception, Dr. Murray Brandstater noted that it was Bernard who in 1984 inspired Murray and their two sisters to fund the gallery in memory of their parents, Roy and Frances Brandstater. Their older sister, the late Rhona Hodgen who was an artist and a La Sierra University music faculty member, had told Bernard about the lack of funds to finish a campus art gallery. Blessed with the gift of persuasion, Bernard influenced his siblings to contribute the entirety of their inheritance to the realization of the gallery as a showpiece for the new Visual Arts Center.

Beyond their generous support of the arts, Bernard and his siblings have been active members of the La Sierra community as dedicated attendees of gallery and campus events, and as strong supporters and donors of La Sierra’s archaeology program. Bernard, who held a substantial interest in archaeology, gave significant artifacts to La Sierra’s Center for Near Eastern Archaeology. These included a major Roman-period stone pillar capital from Syria and a Palmyrene funerary inscription. He regularly attended annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend activities, and for one such weekend, allowed the archaeology center to display a broad collection of Roman-period medical instruments. His interests extended into the field where in 1989 Bernard served as camp manager at the `Umayri excavation site in Jordan. 

The Brandstater family’s La Sierra connections continued through future generations -- the children of both Bernard and Murray are alums of the university.

Bernard, known for his big heart, love for life, and sharp wit, was born into a pastor’s family in Australia. He won a six-year scholarship to attend medical school at Adelaide University and later moved to London to further his studies in anesthesia. He was recruited to chair a new anesthesia department at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon where he pioneered epidural anesthesia for obstetrics. He introduced advanced methods of mechanical respiration in newborns that triggered a new era of intensive care for critically ill infants. He was also the founding editor of the Middle East Journal of Anesthesiology and initiated the first annual regional anesthesiology conference.

In 1969 he was invited to join Loma Linda University where he once again was chair of a new anesthesia department. Under his leadership the department grew into a strong unit. He also established the pain management clinic and started both the dental and nurse anesthesia programs at the university.

Bernard’s family notes in a life sketch, “always an energetic churchman and music-maker, he enjoyed being up front, teaching, singing and playing the piano. He pursued active outdoor recreation, relishing ocean sailing, whitewater river rafting in Alaska and mountain climbing. He was proud of two remarkable feats – successfully reaching the summits of the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Aconcagua in Argentina at 22,834 feet. … In the end, his passion was furthering the work of the Lord and the church he deeply loved, contributing in whatever ways he saw helpful.”

The family welcomes those who hold warm and happy memories of Bernard to share them with his wife, Beverly at bbrandstater@gmail.com.