Neil Gow

Neil was born in the rural Southland farming community of Winton and brought up in Dunedin where he attended John McGlashan College. At McGlashan he was Head Prefect and Senior Athletics Champion. He represented Otago in four events in the 1954 New Zealand Junior Athletics Championships.

Neil entered Lincoln College in 1958 and graduated BAgrSc in 1961. After graduation he spent two years with the Meat and Wool Board’s Economic Service then joined the Farm Management staff at Lincoln College in 1964. He retired in 2007 as a Senior Lecturer and was at the time the University’s longest serving academic staff member.

Neil was on the Executive of the Students’ Association in his student days and President and Executive Member of the Alumni Association in retirement. He was elected a Fellow (Life Member) of the Alumni Association at this year’s AGM.

Rugby was Neil’s great sporting passion. He played in the Lincoln College First XV, was President of the Rugby Club for many years and was made a Life Member of the club. He was also a past Vice-President of Canterbury Rugby Football Union, and a member of the organising committee of the first Rugby World Cup Tournament in 1987.

The title ‘Mr Lincoln’ conveys the breadth and depth of his personal commitment and unique contributions to the University locally, nationally and internationally. These contributions included chairing the Lincoln University Recreation Centre Planning Committee which guided the establishment of the Recreation Centre on campus; Supervising Ashley Dene Farm 1974-1978; co-ordinating and leading the judging of the Lincoln Foundation Farmer of the Year Awards for 25 years; and co-founding the Lincoln  University-Oregon State University Student Exchange Programme.

For his meritorious voluntary service to the University Neil was awarded a Lincoln University Medal in 2008. (Source: Obituary).