PEOPLE

GORDON SIMS: We send our sincere condolences to the President of Skål International, Philip Sims on the recent death of his brother, Gordon, following a short illness.

RAY BOGAERT: Membre d’Honneur Ray Bogaert passed away in London on 5 May 2008 in his 90th year. Ray had been in ill health for some time. We send our sincere condolences to Lynn. The following is a personal reflection of Ray Bogaert compiled by Bill Pullen who worked with Ray and Lynn in the Savoy Hotel London:

With the sad passing of Ray Bogaert on the morning of Monday, May 5th 2008, we can rightfully say, “it was the end of an era”. He was an hotelier of truly exceptional standing as well as being an international tourism professional of the highest quality, appropriately recognized many years ago as a Membre d’Honneur of Skål International. He was a long time member of Skål International London, a Past club President, a Past U.K. National President and served for many years as Auditor for Skål International. Skål was indeed a very important part of his personal and professional life.

I first heard the name “Ray Bogaert” during my apprenticeship years in the hotel business in 1959 when I was a reception clerk at The Berkeley Hotel on London’s Piccadilly and he was one of the company’s most respected executives. The Berkeley was one of the four premium London hotels owned and operated by The Savoy Hotel Company, which included Claridges, The Connaught and the prestigious Savoy Hotel elegantly situated between The Strand and The Embankment overlooking the River Thames. In those days, The Savoy did not have a ‘Sales and Marketing’ department as we know today. Then, the Savoy’s “sales” efforts were strictly dedicated to exemplary guest service at a level rarely seen today even among the world’s finest hostelries.

Ray played many roles as he dutifully represented the Savoy Hotel Company’s signature properties in the heart of London’s West End and was an outstanding ambassador of London’s hospitality industry. In days when transatlantic crossings were a popular form of transportation between America and Europe, Ray frequently travelled to France to meet the transatlantic icons of the ‘Queen Elizabeth’, the ‘Queen Mary’, the ‘S.S. United States’ and others stopping in Cherburg and Le Havre, boarding them and personally greeting guests on their way to stay at the company hotels. He coordinated all their needs from the time they disembarked in Southampton, were met by hotel representatives at Victoria Station in London to the moment they entered their rooms and suites at the hotels. He personally greeted royalty, heads of state and celebrities from all walks of life and it is indeed sad that he never related his many priceless experiences in a book that would surely have been an industry best seller.

My first introduction to The Savoy was in 1954 when, as a hotel school college student I was assigned to the hotel as an intern for about 12 weeks as part of our college curriculum. I worked in the Audit Office on restaurant control verifying the various sales transactions in the Savoy’s main restaurant and reported to the office manager’s secretary, a delightful lady by the name of ‘ Lynn’. Imagine my joyful surprise twenty years later when my wife and I were standing in line at London’s Heathrow Airport preparing to board our ‘plane to Berlin to attend the 1979 AISC World Congress, when I noticed the baggage tags on the luggage belonging to the couple standing in front of us. “Mr. and Mrs. Ray Bogaert”. Lynn, to whom I had reported in 1959, twenty years earlier, was now Mrs. Ray Bogaert and I finally got to meet Ray Bogaert himself, in person.

We have maintained our friendship directly and through SKÅL these last 29 years and, those who knew Ray will agree, he was a raconteur without equal with a wonderful sense of humour. Ray and Lynn have lived in Windsor, just west of London, for many years and are quite close to Windsor Castle where the Queen frequently resides. One of Ray’s favourite tongue-in-cheek remarks concerning their very prestigious neighbour is to refer to her affectionately as “ ‘er down the road”. I am sure many of our English Skålleagues have heard him make this remark!

Ray Bogaert was born on April 13, 1919 and turned 89 years old just three weeks before he passed away. He has two brothers, Leon and Armand “Bill” Bogaert. Bill and his wife, Ann, live in Seminole in the St. Petersburg area on the west coast of Florida. Ray was truly one of my idols in this industry, a man loved, admired, respected but never to be forgotten. May he always rest in peace with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips.

Bill Pullen
Past President SIUSA (1989 – 1990)

GWEN KELLOUGH: We have been advised that the death has taken place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada of Gwen Kellough, wife of the late Al Kellough, former International Councillor of Canada, after a short illness. Gwen was well known particularly to many of the International Councillors.