Kenneth Dover
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Sir Kenneth James Dover, FRSE, FBA (born March 11, 1920) is a distinguished British academic who was Chancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1981 until his retirement in December 2005. Born in London, he was educated at the city's St Paul's School before going on to study at Balliol College, Oxford. After serving with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War (being mentioned in dispatches for his service in Italy), he returned to Oxford and became Fellow and tutor at his old college in 1948. In 1955, he was appointed Professor of Greek at the University of St Andrews, and was twice Dean of the university's Faculty of Arts during his twenty-one years there.
In 1976, Sir Kenneth became President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, a post he held for ten years, and during the 1980s held positions at Cornell University and Stanford University. 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. He was also elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1975, and received a knighthood two years later for services to Greek scholarship.
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 5th November 2005, the Business Committee of the General Council of the University was informed of his decision to step down after 25 years of service, effective from 31st December 2005. He continues to reside in St Andrews, where he and his family have had a home for fifty years.
Sir Kenneth has received honorary degrees 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.
Beyond his academic honors and pursuits, Sir Kenneth is well known for his skill and devotion to bird watching and is considered one of Britains finest birders.
Sir Kenneth's scholarly works include Greek Word Order (1960), Aristophanic Comedy (1972), Greek Homosexuality (1978), and The Greeks and their Legacy (1989).
| Academic Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bernard Edward Fergusson, Brigadier The Lord Ballantrae |
Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1981 - 2005 |
Succeeded by Sir Menzies Campbell |
