In Memoriam: Roger M. Peel
Dr. Roger M. Peel, former Spanish professor at Middlebury and director of the Language Schools for several years, died in Kennebunkport, Maine, on September 21, 2023, just several days shy of his 88th birthday. He was also the former director of the International Baccalaureate Organization.
Friend and colleague John Berninghausen, Truscott Professor Emeritus of Chinese Studies, says, “For close to half a century, Roger Peel was a superb administrator and leading advocate for international education. Highly competent, very professional, but at the same time an extremely likable and cosmopolitan Yorkshireman, Roger lived his very long life to the fullest. Blessed with natural charm, a keen sense of humor, and a ready smile for all who knew him, he will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by many, many colleagues around the world who had the pleasure of working with him or for him.”
Peel was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in the north of England, and throughout his life took pride in his heritage as a Yorkshireman and dalesman, often regaling listeners with stories of camping with the Boy Scouts, working on a farm, and delivering bread and flowers by lorry. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School and Manchester University, where he studied modern languages and played on the rugby team. He received his PhD at Yale University and was appointed assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies for Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
In 1969, he joined the Middlebury faculty as a professor of Spanish and, in the mid-1970s, was named the director of Middlebury’s Language Schools, overseeing the summer programs and programs abroad. Edward Knox, who worked with Peel during this time and later became director of the Language Schools, says, “Roger was a wonderful boss and mentor: attentive, supportive, protective. He had our backs when the College was paying less attention to the Language Schools than it does now. His departure was the IB’s gain, my personal loss, and the College’s loss as well.”
Many of Peel’s colleagues benefited from his guidance. Roberto Véguez, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of Spanish, remembers, “When I was looking for my first job while still finishing my last year in graduate school, Roger interviewed me at the MLA Convention in December 1971 held at the Chicago Conrad Hilton Hotel. He was by then the head of the Spanish and Italian Department at Middlebury. Looking back on the years we worked together out of Sunderland, I realize how smoothly and understatedly he prepared me for my future responsibilities in some of the positions that he held, including as director of our program in Spain. A superb mentor.” He adds, “Roger also towered physically over most of us with his 6-foot-plus tall, thin frame. It was amusing to see him arrive in his VW Bug every morning and uncoil himself out of the driver’s seat. We could not figure out how he managed to get in.”
Nancy O’Connor, Lois B. Watson Professor Emerita of French, was also interviewed by Peel, in 1978, for a position in the French Department. “I think he was probably the most impressive individual I have ever met. He was the kind who shows up and fixes things, or changes them radically—usually for the better—and then moves on to the next challenge.”
Among his many other duties, Peel also served as a consultant for the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington and for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, and he conducted an external review of the in-house language courses for staff and distinguished visitors at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Peel left Middlebury in 1982 with the title of Jean Fulton Professor of Spanish, and in 1983 he became the director general of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, an appointment he considered the pinnacle of his career in education. Under his leadership, the IB expanded its pre-university Diploma Programme across the globe and introduced the Middle Years Programme and Primary Years Programme for younger learners. A distinctive feature of his tenure was his ability to conduct business meetings simultaneously in the three working languages of the IB—English, French, and Spanish.
Retiring in 2000, he and wife Nancy moved to a home at Port St. Charles on the west coast of Barbados, where they lived 20 years before relocating to Kennebunkport. Whether savoring chateaubriand in the mountains of Switzerland, rum and tonic at Basil’s on the island of Mustique, or fish and chips at the Cape Pier Chowder House, Peel enjoyed every moment of a full and fascinating life.
He is survived by wife Nancy Bergdahl Peel; sons Andrew, Christopher, and Richard, and daughter Susan Farrell; grandchildren Garrett, James, Dylan, Ellie, Caitlin, Isabelle, Tagan, and Juliette; and sister Angela Kay and brother Edward and their families.
Contributions in Roger Peel’s memory may be made to the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, 57 Gravelly Brook Road, Kennebunkport, ME 04046. (kporttrust.org)