Professor Derek Brewer 13 July 1923 - 23 October 2008

Professor Derek Brewer, who died on October 23 aged 85, was Trustee and Treasurer of SOS Children’s Villages UK from 1990 to 2004.

He was also a well-respected scholar of medieval literature and was Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from 1977 to 1990. He was best known for his critical works on Geoffrey Chaucer and, beginning in 1953, published a string of important books and articles on his life and works.

Born in 1923 in Cardiff, Derek was educated at The Crypt Grammar School in Gloucester and at Magdalen College Oxford. In 1942-5 he was an infantry officer. In 1949 he was appointed to an Assistant Lectureship in English at the University of Birmingham, where he stayed until 1964, apart from 1956-8 when he held a professorship at a Japanese university. In 1965 he was appointed to a lectureship in English in the University of Cambridge and elected to a Fellowship in Emmanuel. He was elected Master of Emmanuel in 1977, and Professor of English in the University of Cambridge in 1983. He retired in 1990, remaining a life fellow of Emmanuel and continuing his academic work and travels.

Derek served on many university committees and boards, notably as a member of the Council of the Senate (1978-83), and as chairman of the enterprise arm of the Fitzwilliam Museum (1978-90), of the University Library Syndicate (1980-93) and of the English Faculty Board (1984-86).

He married, in 1951, Elisabeth Hoole, who predeceased him in September. They have three sons and two daughters.

Derek’s contribution to SOS Children was remarkable and always went above and beyond his formal duties. He cared deeply about the plight of orphaned and abadoned children and consistently championed the work of SOS Children.

He gave unstintingly of his time, in his work as a Trustee, supporting fundraising events, helping the executive staff, acting as Treasurer and visiting SOS projects in Africa. He personally fundraised, gaining contributions of hundreds of thousands of pounds through his own efforts with potential donors and his personal commitment and enthusiasm acted as an inspiration to SOS staff and Trustees.

Derek visited a number of our SOS Children’s Villages and projects in West Africa including a major education project in Ghana, the Hermann Gmeiner International School. As a result of his visit, a teacher development programme was established using the resources of the University of Cambridge (Homerton College).

SOS Children nominated Derek for a Knighthood in 2007.

Derek’s outstanding service and committment to the children in our care and in particular his desire to facilitate better educational opportunities in Africa will always be remembered.