Elmar Roots ja Tartu Ülikool

As an individual, Elmar Roots (1900–1962) was a colorful and multifaceted figure who belongs to both Estonia and Germany. From the Estonian perspective, he was among the first academic intellectuals of his nation. His period of active scholarly work in Estonia lasted only slightly more than ten years. It was in Germany that he became a mature scholar, as opportunities for development there were better—and he knew how to make excellent use of them. He also gained recognition there, as evidenced by his election as the first honorary member of the German Veterinary Medical Society in 1957. There are not many scientists of Estonian origin who, as refugees, managed to attain as high a position in the West as they had held in Estonia. If we set aside the Baltic University in Pinneberg, where he worked for a short time, Elmar Roots was the only professor of the University of Tartu who achieved the title of full professor in Germany, already in 1947.