In Memoriam: Dr. Roger Simpson (1938–2022)

Abstract

In Memoriam: Dr. Roger Simpson (1938–2022) Alan Lupack, Director Emeritus, Barbara Tepa Lupack, and Kevin J. Harty, Professor of English Click for larger view View full resolution It is with great sadness that we report the recent death of Dr. Roger Simpson, a member of the British Branch of the International Arthurian Society, but a great supporter and friend of the North American Branch and a frequent contributor to Arthuriana as an author and as a submissions and book reviewer. Roger had a truly amazing academic career. After earning a BA in English Language and Literature in 1960 from Wadham College, Oxford, he completed a Diploma in Education at Oxford two years later. From 1962–1963, he was Assistant English Master at Verdin Grammar School in England. From 1963–1965, he was Senior English Master at Old Kampala Senior Secondary School in Uganda. From 1965–1966, he returned to England and served as Assistant English Master at Aylesbury Girls High School. From 1966–1968, he was Senior English Master at Momenshahi Cadet College in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). From 1969–1982, he was Senior Lecturer and Head of English at Gulf Polytechnic in Bahrain. He returned to England in 1982 to take up a position at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, where he taught and remained until 2003. In 1988, he completed [End Page 75] his doctorate at the University of East Anglia with a thesis on The Arthurian Revival and Tennyson, 1800–1849. In 1998, he was a visiting scholar at the National Museum of Ethnography in Osaka, Japan. Roger authored two important Arthurian monographs: Camelot Regained: The Arthurian Revival and Tennyson, 1800–1849 (1990) and Radio Camelot: Arthurian Legends on the BBC, 1922–2005 (2008). His other publications include dozens of essays and reviews on multiple aspects of Arthuriana. Roger was a scholar’s scholar who took immense joy in the painstaking work of unearthing forgotten Arthurian works and authors. He was able to present his research in a comprehensive and compelling way and to infect others with his enthusiasm for his discoveries. As his two books and many essays attest, Roger was interested in, and made contributions to, the study of Arthuriana in both ‘high’ and popular culture. Whether responding to questions at a conference from an established colleague or from beginning graduate students, Roger was always the model of earnestness, grace, and courtesy. He was the gentlest of gentlemen. To those who knew him, Roger was a convivial colleague, a charming host, and the most generous of scholars. Like Chaucer’s Clerk, gladly did he learn and gladly teach. Survivors include his wife, Paddy, and their son, Dr. St. John Simpson, Assistant Keeper for Iran, Central Asia, and Arabia at the British Museum. [End Page 76] Alan Lupack, Director Emeritus The Robbins Library, University Of Rochester Barbara Tepa Lupack Rochester, New York Kevin J. Harty, Professor of English La Salle University Copyright © 2022 Arthuriana