Obituary for Homer Alfred Neal Sr.
Professor Homer Neal was born on June 13, 1942 in Franklin, Kentucky to his parents Margaret Elizabeth (nee Holland) and Homer Neal. From a very young age, he became interested in studying science and reaching out to the world through his ham radio. The latter literally sparked a long career of scientific studies and enormous contributions as he was once struck by lightning while communicating with others in far away lands via morse code.
Dr. Neal started his undergraduate studies at the age of 15 years. He received his B.S. degree in Physics with honors from Indiana University in 1961. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1966. He also holds Honorary Doctorates from Indiana University, Notre Dame University and Michigan State University. He is well known for being the Samuel A. Goudsmit Distinguished University Professor of Physics, a University of Michigan alumnus, having served as the University of Michigan Interim President, and as Vice President for Research. His vast career of accomplishments also includes: Conducting ground-breaking research in California, Denmark, Russia and Switzerland. Serving as the Dean for Research and Graduate Development at Indiana University (1976-81). Serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at SUNY Stony Brook (1981-86). Being the principal originator of the group at the University of Michigan that played a significant role in the top quark discovery. Being the principal originator of the group at the University of Michigan that helped build and analyze the data from the tremendous particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and France. Serving as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Being the principal investigator of the University of Michigan Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) Program that allowed U.S. students to experience working with top scientists during summers at the CERN laboratory. Serving as a Director on the board of the Ford Motor Company. Serving as a member of the Council for the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. He was president of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2015. He was a recipient of the Sloan Foundation Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, the Stony Brook Medal, and the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
He loved to work with wood and was passionate about photography. He enjoyed traveling and lived in many places around the world with his family. Besides Ann Arbor, some of his favorite places included Aspen, Colorado; the Geneva, Switzerland area; and Copenhagen, Denmark. He loved fishing, canoeing, x-c skiing, boating and computing. By far, one of his greatest prides was working with his graduate students, post-docs, colleagues and the fresh inquisitive faces that he encountered in the REU program.
Professor Homer A. Neal, fell seriously ill in February and passed away peacefully on Wednesday May 23, 2018 at the University of Michigan Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Donna Jean Neal, his children Sharon-Denise and Homer, Jr., and grandchildren Kirsten, Arianna, Nicolas and Lucas.
His family will forever remember him as a wonderful father and husband whose global life brought enormous enrichment to their own.
An article about Professor Neal's contributions can be found at https://www.aps.org/about/governance/election/neal.cfm
Dr. Neal started his undergraduate studies at the age of 15 years. He received his B.S. degree in Physics with honors from Indiana University in 1961. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1966. He also holds Honorary Doctorates from Indiana University, Notre Dame University and Michigan State University. He is well known for being the Samuel A. Goudsmit Distinguished University Professor of Physics, a University of Michigan alumnus, having served as the University of Michigan Interim President, and as Vice President for Research. His vast career of accomplishments also includes: Conducting ground-breaking research in California, Denmark, Russia and Switzerland. Serving as the Dean for Research and Graduate Development at Indiana University (1976-81). Serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at SUNY Stony Brook (1981-86). Being the principal originator of the group at the University of Michigan that played a significant role in the top quark discovery. Being the principal originator of the group at the University of Michigan that helped build and analyze the data from the tremendous particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and France. Serving as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Being the principal investigator of the University of Michigan Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) Program that allowed U.S. students to experience working with top scientists during summers at the CERN laboratory. Serving as a Director on the board of the Ford Motor Company. Serving as a member of the Council for the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. He was president of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2015. He was a recipient of the Sloan Foundation Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, the Stony Brook Medal, and the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
He loved to work with wood and was passionate about photography. He enjoyed traveling and lived in many places around the world with his family. Besides Ann Arbor, some of his favorite places included Aspen, Colorado; the Geneva, Switzerland area; and Copenhagen, Denmark. He loved fishing, canoeing, x-c skiing, boating and computing. By far, one of his greatest prides was working with his graduate students, post-docs, colleagues and the fresh inquisitive faces that he encountered in the REU program.
Professor Homer A. Neal, fell seriously ill in February and passed away peacefully on Wednesday May 23, 2018 at the University of Michigan Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Donna Jean Neal, his children Sharon-Denise and Homer, Jr., and grandchildren Kirsten, Arianna, Nicolas and Lucas.
His family will forever remember him as a wonderful father and husband whose global life brought enormous enrichment to their own.
An article about Professor Neal's contributions can be found at https://www.aps.org/about/governance/election/neal.cfm