Obituary - Rotarian Ron Sagar M.B.E.
Ron Sagar died at his home after a long illness on 29th March 2010 aged 75. He had been President of this club in 2002-03 and prior to that had been Secretary for several years.
Although Ron was known to club members for his enigmatic smile and gentle humour they also knew him as a man of steel with clarity and independence of thought who was a formidable force in debate of any kind.
Prior to his membership of the Wakefield club he had been a senior police officer, retiring with the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent in 1989. Following an invitation from the Foreign Office he also served five years as criminal investigations advisor to the government of Lesotho. It was whilst in southern Africa that he became aware of the desperate poverty in Lesotho and re-visited the country several times after retirement where he tried to help by taking donations, food and blankets. He was also instrumental in ensuring that the country benefited from Rotary's 2006 campaign to provide wheelchairs.
Ron's Rotary career also started in Lesotho when he became a member of the Maseru Rotary Club.
Commenting in the Hull Daily Mail, Geoff Ogden, a former Detective Chief Superintendent and head of Humberside Police CID, who served with Ron in Hull City Police, Humberside Police and twice on regional crime squads, said
"I have worked with many first-class detectives, but Ron Sagar was the most tenacious, fearless and bravest of all of them.
"He would tackle, with immense dedication, the most difficult enquiries, batting off all obstacles put in his way.
"He was feared, but admired by members of the criminal fraternity."
"He bore his long battle with cancer with the same grit, determination and courage as he did when a detective.
"Despite being ill, he would enquire regularly of the health of friends and former colleagues and he will be sadly missed," he added.
Ron joined Hull City Police in 1956 after serving with the Royal Air Force for five years.
After serving as a constable for two years, he was posted to the CID after making a name for himself as a "thief taker".
His early rise and status in rank continued when he was promoted to detective sergeant at the age of 26, the youngest officer at the time to have reached such a position in the Hull force.
Ron investigated a series of fatal fires in Hull in the late 1970s, which led to the arrest of arsonist Bruce Lee. The Lee case made him a national name and he later wrote a book about the it called Hull Hell and Fire. He also headed many murder investigations in the city, the aftermath of the Hull Prison riot in 1976 and internal corruption in the West Yorkshire police force.
After rising through the ranks to become a Detective Chief Superintendent with Humberside Police, he became co-ordinator of the Wakefield-based Regional Crime Squad, leading a number of investigations into organised serious international crime, including the smashing of a major South American cocaine smuggling operation.
In 1982 he was awarded an MBE for his criminal investigations work.
Ron was also a member of Calder Probus Club.
He is survived by his wife Phyllis, his daughter Jackie, son Peter and six grandchildren.
The funeral took place on Monday 12th April 2010 at Sandal Methodist Church, where he was a regular worshiper. The service was conducted by his friend and former neighbour, the Rev Trevor Grewcock.
