Prospero Dagbovie, the French teacher generations of Cranbrook students knew simply as "Monsieur," died Aug. 24 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He taught at Cranbrook Schools for 41 years.

Director of Schools Dr. Jeff Suzik announced Dagbovie's death in a message posted to the Cranbrook Schools website on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

A native of Togo, West Africa, Dagbovie arrived at Cranbrook in 1970 with his wife, Fran. He was hired to teach mathematics but soon moved to the French classroom, where he stayed for four decades. The couple raised two children on campus on Faculty Way: Pero, a 1989 Cranbrook graduate, and Sika, class of 1993. The family's home is in Birmingham.

Dagbovie was known for high standards delivered with warmth and humor. Always impeccably dressed, he was rarely seen without a knotted tie and pressed clothes. Students who met his expectations earned his legendary "bon-bons."

He left a mark well beyond French class.

Dagbovie coached soccer and intramural sports, worked in the dormitories, advised students and led spring break trips to Paris that included family stays. He played congas in a campus jazz quartet. Longtime faculty remembered the towering corn he grew in a garden plot on Valley Way.

Longtime colleague Ric Bowdy recalled that Dagbovie treated everyone as though they were a visiting dignitary. Bowdy said Dagbovie could "charm the birds out of the trees."

Dagbovie also taught summer sessions in Cranbrook's Horizons-Upward Bound program, a federally funded college-prep program serving Metro Detroit high school students that has operated on the Cranbrook campus since 1965.

In spring 2025, the Cranbrook Kingswood Alumni Association inducted both Prospero and Fran Dagbovie as Honorary Alumni. Prospero's health prevented him from attending the ceremony. Fran accepted the honor on his behalf and shared that even during his illness, he continued to recall stories about his students and advisees.

"Cranbrook has great teachers, and if you join the club, you raise your game," Dagbovie once said, according to Suzik's tribute.

The Cranbrook community is invited to remember Dagbovie during a future Reunion Weekend gathering. The family requests that memorial donations be directed to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or to the Cranbrook Schools Horizons-Upward Bound Annual Fund, specifying Dagbovie's name. Condolences may be sent to [email protected] or to 999 Donmar Court, Birmingham, MI 48009.