Ernest Richard Ward Neale, (July 3, 1923 – May 20, 2008) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alt ...

. His scientific research contributed to the understanding of the large-scale structure of the northern

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mountains of Atlantic Canada. Neale used his enthusiasm for geology to inform students and the general public about discoveries in his field through television, radio, pamphlets, booklets, news magazines, and the popular press. Neale worked with the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the e ...

and Memorial University of Newfoundland. He, along with

John Rodgers John Rodgers may refer to: Military * John Rodgers (1728–1791), colonel during the Revolutionary War and owner of Rodgers Tavern, Perryville, Maryland * John Rodgers (naval officer, born 1772), U.S. naval officer during the War of 1812, first na ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, were the first to recognize the transported oceanic sedimentary rocks that overlie ancient shelf deposits in western Newfoundland.

Early life

Neale was born in

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Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

in July 1923. He served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...

during the

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between 1943 and 1945. After the war he went to study at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, Montreal. He completed his

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1949. In 1950, Ward married Roxie and they moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

so Ward could attend

. There he obtained his MSc. (1951) and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

(1952).

Career

Neale worked briefly as an assistant professor at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

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, between 1952 and 1954. After that he went on to work for the

. His first position was as to head the

Geology Section. Between 1963 and 1965, Neale served as the Commonwealth Geology Liaison Officer. When he returned he was given the responsibility to head the

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of th ...

Geology Section. In 1968, Neale left the Survey to become Professor and head of the Geology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 1972, he organized a Montreal-based symposium for the International Geological Congress on Geoscience Aid to developing Countries. This symposium led to the creation of the Association of Geoscientists for International Development. In 1976, Neale moved to Calgary as Head of the Geological Information Subdivision of the Institute of Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology. He retained his ties to academia whilst in Calgary by holding an adjunct position at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...

and acting on the University Senate. In 1982, Neale returned to Newfoundland to accept the position of Vice-President Academic of Memorial University. He held that position until retiring in 1987. After retirement, Ward and his wife moved to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Other positions held

*1972-1973, President of the

Geological Association of Canada The Geological Association of Canada (GAC) is a learned society that promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange ...

*1973-1978, Director of the Canadian Geological Foundation *1974-1980, Editor of the

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences The ''Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1963, which reports current research on all aspects of the Earth sciences. It is published by NRC Research Press. The journal also publishes s ...

*1976, President of the Canadian Geoscience Council *Chaired the Royal Society of Canada's Committee on Public Awareness of Science *co-Founder of the Calgary Science Network *1989, Chair of the Calgary Science Network

Honours and awards

* was a Fellow of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitch ...

for over 50 years * was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada * 1975, awarded the

Bancroft Award The Bancroft Award is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "given for publication, instruction, and research in the earth sciences that have conspicuously contributed to public understanding and appreciation of the subject". The award was endo ...

by the Royal Society of Canada * 1977, awarded an honorary degree from the

* 1977, awarded a

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

* 1977, awarded the

R. T. Bell Medal R. or r. may refer to: * '' Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbrevi ...

by the Canadian Mining Journal * 1981, awarded a Distinguished Service Award by the Geological Association of Canada * 1986, awarded the Ambrose Medal of the Geological Association of Canada * 1990, made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

* 1992, awarded the

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (french: Médaille commémorative du 125e anniversaire de la Confédération du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of ...

by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

* 1994, honored by the creation of the E. R. Ward Neale Medal by the Geological Association of Canada * 2003, awarded an honorary award for a significant contribution to the field of education by the

International Geoscience Education Organization The International Geoscience Education Organisation (IGEO) is an international non-governmental organization aimed to promote the improvement of the quality of geoscience education worldwide. About The International Geoscience Education Organ ...

References

Neale's Obituary
Retrieved May 26, 2008.
Memorial University of Newfoundland Gazette August 25, 1995
Retrieved May 26, 2008.

Retrieved May 26, 2008.
Geological Society of America 50+ years
Retrieved May 26, 2008.

Retrieved May 26, 2008.

Retrieved May 26, 2008.

External links

The E.R. Ward Neale Medal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neale, E.R. Ward 1923 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Canadian geologists Geological Survey of Canada personnel Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada McGill University alumni Academic staff of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Officers of the Order of Canada Yale University alumni Fellows of the Geological Society of America Canadian expatriates in the United States