Dr. Robert E. Savage of Swarthmore died in his sleep on Friday, May 20. He was 83.

Bob, a 49-year resident of Swarthmore, spent the bulk of his career as an Isaac H. Clothier Jr. Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College. He was an easily recognizable fixture in the ville of Swarthmore, riding his bike and wearing his trademark Swedish clogs.

Born on December 8, 1932 in Middlebury, Vermont, to Dorothy and Reginald Savage, he had one sibling, an older brother Donald. As a young man, he developed two chief interests: science and music, which he pursued with equal vigor throughout his life. After graduating from Belmont High School outside Boston, he attended Oberlin College, where he majored in botany.

His matriculation to graduate school was delayed by the outbreak of the Korean War. Bob was drafted into the army and spent his tour at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Upon his discharge, he pursued his doctoral degree in cell biology at the University of Wisconsin under the tutelage of distinguished molecular biologists Walter Plaut and Hans Ris.

After briefly working as an assistant professor of biology at Queens College in New York, he accepted a position to be the first professor of cell biology at Swarthmore College, where he stayed until his retirement in 1995.

He also enjoyed appointments at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala Universitet in Sweden, where he spent several years on sabbatical with his family.

Bob authored and co-authored numerous books and papers on subjects ranging from cell hybrids to the history surrounding Carl Linnaeus and John Bartram.

Throughout his tenure, he established life-long bonds with members of the Swarthmore College community — particularly students — that he cherished.

Bob's love for science was easily eclipsed by his love for classical music. An accomplished cellist, keyboardist and recorder player, he was a very active producer and consumer of music. Throughout his life he played in classical ensembles, sometimes semi-professionally, including orchestras, early music groups, and his first love: chamber music groups. After his retirement from the college, he resumed his cello studies and was an avid concertgoer.

He shared his love for music with his wife, Gisela Savage (née Bergau), whom he met in New York City and married in 1964. Bob and Gisela, a Swedish immigrant, made music a central part of their family life, teaching their two children to play and enjoy music.

Bob is survived by both music-loving children, A. Monica Kruse and her husband Lakota K. Kruse of Swarthmore, and Eric D. Savage and his wife Megan J. Juday of Germantown; and four grandchildren, Annika and Elisa Kruse, and Elliot and Walter Savage.

A service to celebrate Bob will be held on Saturday, June 11, at the Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse, 12 Whittier Place on the college campus. The service will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a reception.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be made to the American Swedish Historical Museum, 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145.