Roy Catesby Flannagan, Jr., PhD

Roy Catesby Flannagan, Jr., PhD, 81, of Florence, SC, passed away on Saturday, January 11, 2020.  Dr. Flannagan was born in Richmond, VA, the son of the late Roy Catesby Flannagan, Sr. and Victoria (Iller) Flannagan Hall. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Pat Hooker.

Roy studied at Washington Lee University and the University of Virginia where he received his PhD in English in 1966. He was employed as a Professor and John Milton Scholar at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio for 32 years. Dr. Flannagan was the founding editor the Milton Quarterly, and served as President of the Milton Society of America, and as an Honored Scholar in 2001. He was the editor of the Riverside Milton and John Milton, Paradise Lost, as well as the President of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. In his early years as a professor, he spent some time traveling with family and with student groups to European destinations, and often worked on projects that involved book and journal editing. As a professor, he taught and mentored thousands of students, some of whom are still involved in Milton studies. He also developed international symposia related to his lifelong intellectual study of the British poet John Milton.  After retiring from Ohio University, he worked as a Scholar in Residence at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort.  Along with his intellectual pursuits as a scholar and teacher, Dr. Flannagan was also interested in photography, gardening, and feature writing on local cultural and historical persons and places of interest. 

Dr. Flannagan is survived by a son, Roy Catesby (Beckie) Flannagan III of Florence, SC; two daughters:  Julia Wickham (Bill) Capewell of Ocala, FL, and Elisabeth Welsby Flannagan of Hampton, VA; a grandson, Wickham Catesby (Alev) Flannagan, of Ankara, Turkey; and a great-grandson, Atlas Catesby Flannagan, also of Ankara. 

A memorial service for his family will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to the Parish Church of Saint Helena, Beaufort, SC. 

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