Roger Simon: A generous friend, colleague and mentor remembered

September 19, 2012

By Rinaldo Walcott

It was with a profound sense of grief and loss that the University and OISE communities learned a generous friend, colleague and mentor, Professor Roger Simon passed away on Monday September 17, at Mt. Sinai Hospital.  

Professor Simon joined the Faculty of Education in 1970 and worked in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education with a cross appointment to Curriculum, Teaching and Learning until his retirement in June 2010.

As a teacher, researcher, thinker and scholar at OISE and the University of Toronto for more than 40 years, Roger had a profound impact on those who were fortunate enough to learn and work with him. He was a founder of the Critical Pedagogy and Cultural Studies Forum, a director of the Centre for Media and Culture in Education, and the Principal Investigator of several research projects.

Roger was a formidable scholar and intellectual, whose work invites us to think through very difficult and compelling questions.  Yet, beyond his erudition there was a warmth and generosity that anyone who worked closely with Roger has felt.  During his years at OISE, Roger took time to nurture conditions that created a rich and deep intellectual environment, create spaces where people can probe questions, try out ideas, and challenge themselves and others. He was a scholar who enabled the creation of a public culture of inquiry and of thought. This, along with his many publications and his many graduates, is his legacy.

Roger Simon’s funeral will be held on Thursday at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, 2401 Steeles Ave. W.

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