Sid Poger, beloved father and grandfather, passed away on May 17th at the age of 90.

Born in Everett, Massachusetts in 1935, the third child of Israel Poger and Annie Krinsky, Poger graduated from Everett High School, Tufts University (Magna Cum Laude) and Columbia University, from which he received a PhD in 1965. In 1959 he married Ruth Goldberg, and in 1962 they moved to Vermont, where Poger began a 38-year-long career of teaching English at the University of Vermont, attaining full professorship in 1975.

He became increasingly interested in Irish literature, exchange teaching at Trinity College Dublin in 1976. He co-directed a well-respected Irish Studies program, as well as an international Irish Studies conference which brought over such famous Irish poets as John Montague and Nobel Prize-winning Seamus Heaney.

Poger's interest in theater and poetry led to him directing a 1975 production of Three Plays by W.B. Yeats - which he called Fools and Blind Men - and to roles in productions of As You Like It, Mother Courage, and The Miser at the Royal Tyler Theater.

His love of music and poetry would frequently and unpredictably lead him to break into song and quote poetry: no one could know when a random word would trigger a song or a poem, not even he. Highlights include teaching Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" to the tune of "Fernando's Hideaway," and breaking into "C is for Cookie" – his grandson's favorite song at the time – during his retirement party.

His wife's interest in mystery stories led him to create a course in the University on detective fiction, which resulted in the publication of Poe's Children, co-authored with Tony Magistrale.

Poger became active in organizing an ultimately unsuccessful election for the University of Vermont faculty to form a union in 1976; the union finally won the vote in 1999. His commitment to community service included a year spent on the South Burlington Zoning Board of Adjustment, and fifteen years on the Planning Commission, including eight years as chairman, helping to shape South Burlington. He then stepped down and became a reporter for his wife's newspaper, "The Other Paper," writing stories on city affairs.

Poger was an unrivalled fan of his beloved Boston Red Sox, as well as a faithful follower of UVM hockey from its inception in 1964 until long after his retirement. He also was a member of the longest established permanent floating handball game in Vermont.

Poger is survived by his daughters Julia and Toby and their spouses Chris and Thor, and his greatly cherished grandchildren Erik and Sophie, and Erik's spouse Morganne. He was predeceased by his wife Ruth, and his siblings Fay Schutzburg and Berry Poger

In lieu of flowers, people are asked to break out in song, or recite lines from a favorite poem at some point during the week. Sid will be humming along.