(1935-2015)
Died suddenly at home of natural causes on March 5, 2015. Intellectual, essayist, professor, mentor, Francophile, sceptic, contrarian, comforter of the afflicted, Renaissance man. Son of Jack and Beatrice of Hastings, England. Father of Ian Paul (1962-2008) and survived by his son Stephen, grandsons Malcolm and Jeremy (Ontario), colleagues, dear friends and former students who kept in touch over the years. The son of a bus mechanic, John accepted an entrance scholarship to Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1956. At the University of Reading he studied education, receiving an award for best student of the year (1960). He taught in Nigeria (1960-62) and at Memorial University (1962-67), before taking a position at the Nuffield Foundation London, where he worked to develop the use of a language lab to teach French (1967-69). John returned to Newfoundland in 1973, where he taught in the Department of French until his retirement in 2000. One of the founders of the MPhil Humanities program at Memorial, he contributed lectures until last year, writing them to be read even when he could no longer deliver them himself. He was a mentor and supervisor to a great many graduate students over the last 25 years, often explaining Althusser or Bataille until well into the night. A celebration of John's life and reception will be held in the Junior Common Room, R. Gushue Hall, Memorial University, doors open at 3 pm, Sunday April 19. A time for readings and sharing of memories with family and friends 4 pm. Reception will continue throughout the evening. Donations in John's memory can be made to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders or a charity of one's choice.