G. Roger Edwards

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Bowdoin College University of Pennsylvania

G. Edwards Obituary

EDWARDS, G. Roger G. Roger Edwards, age 94, died June 9, 2009, in Haverford, PA. Born in Southington, he was the son of the late George and Alice (Heathcote) Edwards. He was a graduate of Lewis High School, Southington. Roger received his BA from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, and continued his education by earning an M.A. from the John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD in 1937 and then his Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) in 1939. He also received an honorary M.A. degree in 1971 from UPENN. Roger's professional career began as an assistant curator at the Bowdoin College Museum of Fine arts. He engaged in excavation and research at Corinth and Athens, Greece, at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. From 1950 to 1980, Roger was an esteemed member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, beginning as assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, then serving as Assistant Curator of the University Museum, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology and Associate Curator, and finally, until 1980, was Professor of Classical Archaeology and Curator of the University Museum. Thereafter, he continued his affiliation with UPENN as a Professor and Curator Emeritus. He was also proud of his service to his country, having served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945. His principal field work and research, between 1946 and 1967, brought him to: Corinth; Athens (Athenian Agora); Gordion, Turkey (Excavations of the University Museum); Cyprus, Kourion; and Torre Mordillo, Italy. His numerous articles appeared in scholarly journals, as well as in a book was entitled Corinth. Results of Excavations conducted by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (vol. VII, part 3, Corinthian Hellenistic Pottery, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Princeton, NJ, 1975. Roger was predeceased by his parents; a sister, Mildred Jones, and brothers William and Alan Edwards. He is survived by nieces, Carol Emmons and Antoinette Edwards and cousin Donald Edwards. He also leaves many great-nieces and great-nephews. A memorial service to celebrate Roger's life will be on Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m., at First Church of Christ Congregational, Main Street, Wethersfield, CT with interment at Oak Hill Cemetery in Southington, CT. To send condolences or to share a memory, please visit http://www.legacy.com/HartfordCourant/DeathNotices.asp

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Published by Hartford Courant on Jun. 17, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for G. Edwards

8 Entries

Fred Winter

July 9, 2009

I only this past week learned of Dr. Edward’s passing. He was my teacher in many courses at Penn and my dissertation advisor, and I benefitted greatly from his deep knowledge of all things Hellenistic. I also came to treasure his sharp and often barbed wit, and the breadth of his interests in music, the arts, and other topics non-archaeological. His work on the excavations at Gordion, Corinth and other sites in Greece, and on the collections under his charge at the University Museum in Philadelphia, led to important contributions to scholarship. We are diminished by his loss.

James McCredie

June 28, 2009

Mimsy and I knew Roger for five decades, at Penn, at Gordion and especially in Athens, where I learned much about Hellenistic pottery from him. In spite of a disagreement over chronology, he continued to be a friend, and we shall miss him.

June 24, 2009

June 24, 2009
I knew Roger for many years as one of the group of archaeologists in the Philadelphia area, but then I had the opportunity to work with him as editor for his volume on Corinthian Hellenistic pottery. He was a helpful, conscientious author, passionate in his views about his special field.

Marian H. McAllister (Philadelphia, PA)

George Bass

June 23, 2009

Roger was first one of my professors, and later a collegue and friend. We sometimes played table tennis together in my basement in Philadelphia. When he later made an unsolicited gift of his library to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (now mostly in Bodrum, Turkey), I was able to bring him to our headquarters in Texas, and he and I and my wife Ann had a splendid time together. So I was glad that we were able to stay in touch and see one another almost annually until 2008.

Roger gave me a major lesson when I was a student that has served me well. I worked through the Christmas vacation on a term paper for his Hellenistic Archaeology course, and he gave me a B. Of course I was disappointed, even angry, but he had told us to prepare our papers as if they were to be submitted to the American Journal of Archaeology, and he pointed out that I had not always used the correct bibliographical abbreviations! I've tried to pass on this rule of attempting perfection to my own students, who are also angry with me, but later, when they have published articles and books of their own, write letters of thanks. Roger heard all of this from me, and I think it pleased him. I'll miss his correspondence and visiting him at the Quad.

LYNN ROLLER

June 23, 2009

Professor Edwards was one of my teachers at Penn. A quiet, dignified man, he contributed a great deal to the Gordion Project and to the work of the University Museum. In particular, his work was instrumental in drawing attention to the chronological and cultural breadth of the Gordion material. He will be fondly remembered by his many colleagues and friends.

June 20, 2009

So sorry I didn't get to know you better or get to see more often. My boys and I will miss you Roger!
Love, Toni

Karen Vellucci

June 17, 2009

I knew G. Roger first as student, then a colleague, and finally as a charming and delightful friend. As a professor, he opened my eyes to the beauties of Hellenistic pottery and taught me how the sublte nuances needed to identify the Greek vase painters. As a colleague, we worked together publishing CVA volumes on the museum's collections and spent many hours discussing the intricacies of the Gordion excavations. As a friend he was whimsical and gentlemanly and kind and surprising. I remember a Spring Champagne party for all the Archaeology students and professors at penn sometime in the late 1970s, he and Ellen Kohler had us all clapping and laughing as they did some Turkish dances for us. I remmebr also the way that G. Roger and Ellen would sign the letters they wrote to Rodney Young when he was at Gordion and they were at Penn, they were always signed GREEK. He was a charming man seemingly from an earlier time when people were more thoughtful and gentle. He will be missed by his many colleagues, students, and friends.

Ellen Herscher

June 17, 2009

Roger Edwards was the advisor for my dissertation at the Univ. of Penn. His quiet support, generous advice and encouragement continued for many years, without which I would never have finished my PhD. I am deeply grateful for all he did, and for the years of friendship that have followed.

Dr. Edwards played a vital role in the Penn Museum's expedition to Kourion, Cyprus. When the project's leader died suddenly in 1953, Dr. Edwards was instrumental in bringing the work to an orderly close and preserving the documentation and artifacts for the future so that the results of the excavations would not be lost. He continued to work tirelessly to see that the results were properly published.

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