Born on January 13, 1951, in Northallerton, England, Dr. Robin Sawyer passed away on January 21, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina following a courageous year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Sawyer's life was largely defined by his commitment to three things;family, education, and athletics.
He retired after a 33-year career at the University of Maryland where his Human Sexuality course was wildly popular on campus.Dr. Sawyer's trademark brand of humor and British wit drew tens of thousands of students into his classroom.He was also well known for his mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health.His tireless commitment to his students earned him some of the most prestigious teaching awards including the University of Maryland System Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching, conferred annually to one of the University's five thousand faculty members.Dr. Sawyer's passion for education was not limited to the classroom and he wrote and produced five educational films that garnered fourteen international and national film awards and are used on over 150 college campuses around the country.
His commitment to education was also a thread that united his professional and personal lives.One of Dr. Sawyer's greatest passions in life was soccer and he dedicated countless thousands of hours to coaching his daughters' teams at various levels, rec, travel, and high school.That role made him a revered teacher, coach, and mentor to dozens of young athletes and their parents who came to view Dr. Sawyer as family.Dr. Sawyer was rarely absent from the stands of a St. Mary's College of Maryland soccer game where he beamed with pride watching his daughter Gillian carry on his own goal-scoring tradition.
Dr. Sawyer was a hero in every sense of the word.Professor Sawyer, Coach Robin, Rob, Dad, whatever name you knew him by, he leaves a legacy that will endure in all of us.
Dr. Sawyer was preceded by his parents, Kenneth and Dorothy Sawyer and is survived by his beloved wife Anne Anderson-Sawyer, sister Judith Chester, four adoring daughters Katherine, Emily, Meg, and Gillian, sons-in-law Nicholas Mazmanian and Richard Doelling, an April grandbaby on the way, an incredibly loving circle of relatives, and of course, his beloved Tottenham Hotspur.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 1, 2019 at 1 p.m. at the University of Maryland Memorial Chapel in College Park, Maryland.A brief coffee reception will follow in the Colony Ballroom in the Stamp Student Union.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge.Please make all checks payable to Hope Lodge, New York City and send to 132 West 32nd Street, New York, NY 10001.
Arrangements in care of Charleston Cremation Center and Funeral Home.