Robert Arthur Neale MNZM
Mr Neale joined the Department of English at Massey in 1969, beginning a distinguished career that spanned almost three decades. He taught literature, writing and communication with a style that was both rigorous and engaging, inspiring generations of students to think deeply and express themselves with precision and confidence.
From 1984 until early 1998, he served as the University Public Orator, delivering honorary degree citations and representing Massey at ceremonial occasions with the eloquence and humour that became his hallmark.
In May 1998, shortly before his retirement as a Senior Lecturer from the then School of English and Media Studies, he was awarded the Massey University Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the life of the university.
He held a Master of Arts and Diploma in Education from the University of Oxford, and in 2011 was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for his services to education.
Robert Arthur Neale MNZM
Associate Dean Teaching and Learning Dr Elizabeth Gray remembers him as an extraordinary teacher and influence.
”He taught Middle English when I was an undergraduate starting my Bachelor of Arts back in 1990. He was the most spellbinding lecturer. He would stand at the foot of the raked lecture theatre in what was then the Old Main Building, looking up at the rows of us, and quote from Chaucer and Malory in his beautiful Oxford accent, and all of us hung on his every word. For a whole generation of us, he made us fall in love with English literature and the power of the written word. To be taught by Robert really was to be transformed.”
He is survived by his wife of 65 years Jean, two daughters Alison and Janet, and their families.
A service to celebrate Mr Neale’s life will be held at Lychway funeral home, Palmerston North, on Monday 3 November at 11am.