Dr. Leslie H. Neatby awaiting the presentation of an honourary Doctor of Laws degree at Convocation held in Centennial Auditorium. Dr. Robert M. (Bob) Bone stands at podium giving the citation.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Leslie Hamilton Neatby was born in London on 16 May 1902. In 1906 the family emigrated to Canada and his father set up practice in Earl Grey, Saskatchewan. The family moved to Saskatoon in 1919. Having graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1925 with honours in History and Latin. Neatby taught in Saskatchewan schools until 1940 when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces for active duty overseas. After the war Neatby recommenced his academic career by enrolling at the University of Toronto. In 1950, at age 48, he was awarded a Doctorate in Classics. From 1951 to 1967 Neatby was Head of the Department of Classics at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. It was at Acadia that Neatby found enough leisure time to embark on his life’s ambition of writing about Maritime history. A few years before joining the staff at Acadia an article in Macleans magazine entitled, “Franklin’s Folley” ignited his latent interest in Arctic exploration. While he strongly disagreed with the article, he pursued the Franklin search material by reading Back’s adventure of Great Fish River. All of this lead to his first book, “In Quest of the North—West” which appeared in 1958. Neatby came home to the U of S in 1967, where he was on the faculty of the Department of Classics until his retirement in 1970. He then assumed the position of Historical Associate at the Institute for Northern Studies at the U of S, a position that he retained until the demise of that institution in 1982. Neatby was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree by the U of S in 1974. Neatby died in Saskatoon in 1997 at age 95.

Professor L.C. Coleman makes presentation to Dr. Leslie H. Neatby, Department of History. At left is Dr. Edith C. Rowles Simpson, former Dean of Home Economics.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Leslie Hamilton Neatby was born in London on 16 May 1902. In 1906 the family emigrated to Canada and his father set up practice in Earl Grey, Saskatchewan. The family moved to Saskatoon in 1919. Having graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1925 with honours in History and Latin. Neatby taught in Saskatchewan schools until 1940 when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces for active duty overseas. After the war Neatby recommenced his academic career by enrolling at the University of Toronto. In 1950, at age 48, he was awarded a Doctorate in Classics. From 1951 to 1967 Neatby was Head of the Department of Classics at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. It was at Acadia that Neatby found enough leisure time to embark on his life’s ambition of writing about Maritime history. A few years before joining the staff at Acadia an article in Macleans magazine entitled, “Franklin’s Folley” ignited his latent interest in Arctic exploration. While he strongly disagreed with the article, he pursued the Franklin search material by reading Back’s adventure of Great Fish River. All of this lead to his first book, “In Quest of the North—West” which appeared in 1958. Neatby came home to the U of S in 1967, where he was on the faculty of the Department of Classics until his retirement in 1970. He then assumed the position of Historical Associate at the Institute for Northern Studies at the U of S, a position that he retained until the demise of that institution in 1982. Neatby was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree by the U of S in 1974. Neatby died in Saskatoon in 1997 at age 95.