Roger Montgomery, 78; Architecture Professor, Dean at UC Berkeley

Roger Montgomery, 78, the former dean of UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and an emeritus professor of both the architecture and city and regional planning departments, died Saturday at his home in Berkeley. He had been in failing health battling cancer and multiple sclerosis.

A champion of affordable housing, social equality and historic preservation, Montgomery joined the Berkeley faculty in 1967. He served as dean of the College of Environmental Design from 1988 until his retirement in 1996.

Born in New York City, Montgomery worked in machine shops and assembly plants during World War II. He studied sociology and political science at Oberlin College until joining the Army in 1945. Trained in architecture after leaving the service, Montgomery became a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he formed the school’s Urban Renewal Design Center. He joined the Berkeley faculty after the university decided to create a degree program in urban design.