Roger Mervyn SAVORY

ROGER MERVYN SAVORY January 27, 1925 - February 17, 2022 On February 17, 2022, our Dad (Roger) peacefully left us to join our Mum (Kathleen 2010). Father of Jill and Julian (Suzanne); grandfather of Alexandra, Marc, Jennifer, and Andrew; and great-grandfather of Maren, James and Hadley; survived by his brother Brian. Roger was born in Peterborough, England where he attended The King's School Peterborough. In 1943, he was awarded a State Scholarship, jointly offered by the War Office and the Ministry of Information, to take an intensive course in Persian at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Roger enlisted in the Intelligence Corps in 1944 and was posted to Iran in 1945. He held a number of posts in Iran, first attached to the Special Operations Executive branch of the British military intelligence, then the British Foreign Office until he was demobilized in September 1947, and appointed to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in the Intelligence Corps in 1949 with the rank of Lieutenant. In 1947, Roger commenced Persian with Arabic studies at The Queen's College, Oxford graduating with B.A.-Oriental Studies in 1950. After graduation, he was appointed Lecturer in Persian at SOAS, where he met Kathleen shortly after his arrival and they were married in 1951. Roger taught and studied for 10 years at SOAS, completing his PhD in 1958. Roger was invited to Toronto in 1960 to be a visiting Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Toronto Roger was then offered a permanent job in the newly established Department of Islamic Studies, created in 1961, and was a major player in establishing the U of T among the forerunners of Middle Eastern and Iranian studies in North America. In 1968, Roger became Chairman of the Department, a post he held until 1973. In 1972, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1976, he was cross-appointed to Trinity College in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and in Religious Studies and, in 1982, was appointed a Fellow of the College. He was elected to the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and served as an Executive of that Council from 1983-1987. Roger retired in 1987 and was appointed Fellow Emeritus of Trinity College. In retirement, Roger continued tutoring PhD students and continued to write articles and books, adding to an extensive list of over fifty publications inclusive to 2004. In 2003, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa) by the University of Trinity College. In 2011, he was presented with a Festschrift, edited by one of his students, Dr. Colin Mitchell, currently a professor in the Department of History at Dalhousie University. Roger and Kathleen fully embraced their life in Canada with family weekend countryside escapes to their hobby properties and summer Maritime seaside holidays. Roger always found great relaxation and fulfilment in establishing and transforming perennial gardens. He travelled with Kathleen throughout Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Roger spent his last months at The Glebe Centre Long-Term Care in Ottawa. Jill and Julian thank the staff at The Glebe Centre for their wonderful care and empathy. Cremation has taken place in Ottawa. A memorial service will be held at St. Clement's Church in Toronto at a date to be announced (when Covid restrictions are loosened). Please visit the funeral home website for an update. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Glebe Centre, 77 Monk St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5A7 glebecentre.ca in Roger's memory. Condolences/Tributes/Donations Hulse, Playfair & McGarry www.hpmcgarry.ca 613-728-1761