- Kenneth Dover
Sir Kenneth James Dover, FRSE, FBA (born
March 11 ,1920 ) is a distinguished British academic who wasChancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1981 until his retirement in December 2005.Early life
Born in
London , Kenneth Dover was educated atSt Paul's School , before going on to study atBalliol College, Oxford .Military service
He served with the
Royal Artillery during the Second World War and wasmentioned in dispatches for his service inItaly .Fellow of Balliol College
After military service, Dover returned to Oxford and became
Fellow andtutor at his old college in 1948.Professor of Greek at St Andrews University
In 1955, Dover was appointed
Professor of Greek at theUniversity of St Andrews , and was twice Dean of the university'sFaculty of Arts during his twenty-one years there.He was elected to the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1975.Knight Bachelor
Dover received a
knighthood two years later for services to Greek scholarship.President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
In 1976, Sir Kenneth became President of
Corpus Christi College, Oxford , a post he held for ten years.President of the British Academy
In 1978, he was elected to the presidency of the
British Academy , of which he has been a Fellow since 1966, and served for a term of three years.During the 1980s, he also held positions at
Cornell University andStanford University .Chancellor of St Andrews University
Sir Kenneth returned to St Andrews as the university's Chancellor in 1981. He was the first Chancellor in the University's history to be neither a peer nor an archbishop.
At its meeting on Saturday
5 November 2005 , the Business Committee of the General Council of the University was informed of Sir Kenneth's decision to step down after 25 years of service, effective from31 December 2005.Honorary degrees
Sir Kenneth has received
honorary degree s from the Universities of Oxford, St Andrews, Birmingham, Bristol, London, Durham, Liverpool, and Oglethorpe.He is also a foreign member of the American and the Royal Netherlands Academies of Arts and Sciences.
Publications
Sir Kenneth's scholarly works include "Greek Word Order" (1960), "Aristophanic Comedy" (1972), "
Greek Homosexuality " (1978), and "The Greeks and their Legacy" (1989).Hobbies
Beyond his academic honours and pursuits, Sir Kenneth is well known for his skill and devotion to
bird watching and is considered one of Britain's finestbirders .Media appeareances
* Sir Kenneth featured in an edition of the
BBC Radio 4 programme "In the Psychiatrist's Chair", presented byProfessor Anthony Clare ;
* He featured in aBBC Television series "The Greeks", presented byChristopher Burstall .Trivia
* While he was President of the
British Academy , Sir Kenneth accepted the resignation from the Academy ofSir Anthony Blunt ;
* In the 1980s, Sir Kenneth was one of the signatories to a petition to preventMargaret Thatcher being awarded anHonorary Doctorate from heralma mater ,Oxford University ;
* People "capped" by Sir Kenneth in his role as Chancellor of St Andrews University includedKen Loach ,Bob Dylan , SirTrevor McDonald ,J.K. Rowling ,Colin Montgomerie ,Seve Ballesteros andPrince William ;
* Because of his wide learning andOlympian manner, Sir Kenneth has sometimes been affectionately known as "The Sage of St Andrews."Family life
Sir Kenneth Dover resides in St Andrews, Fife, where he and his family have had a home for about fifty years.
In March 2007, he and his wife Audrey celebrated their
Diamond Wedding Anniversary. They have a son and daughter, and grandchildren.External links
* [http://www.williamapercy.com/pub-Comments-Dover.htm William Percy over Dover]
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