Born in Budapest, Hungary, Sydney arrived in Canada with his parents, Edith and George, in 1949. He studied History at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and was awarded his doctorate from King’s College, Cambridge. He stayed on as a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. In 1972, Sydney was appointed to the Department of History at York University where he remained until his retirement in 2006. The focus of Sydney’s research was French imperialism in Africa, and he made a deep and vital contribution to that area of scholarship. He was a dedicated teacher at both the undergraduate and graduate level and sparked the academic careers of many of his students.
Sydney was a loyal supporter of the Manchester City FC, a relationship he began during his years in England and maintained to the end. Above all else, Sydney was devoted to his family. He is survived by Jane, his wife of fifty-five years, and his four children Nick (Brenda), Susan (John), Martha (Michael), and Charlotte (Peter), and by his beloved grandchildren Nicholas, Margaret, Jamie, Duncan, Joseph, Isobel, Callum, Susie, Lucy, Alice, Sam, and Thomas.
A memorial visitation will be held at the Trull Funeral Home and Cremation Centre (2704 Yonge Street – 416-488-1101) on Saturday April 8th, 2017 from 2-5 pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sunnybrook Foundation and Médecins Sans Frontières appreciated.