Neale Reinitz Obituary

Born September 16, 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. Died September 28, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is predeceased by his parents, Bertram Reinitz (1897-1960) and Sonia Reinitz (nee Bromberg) (1897-1988). Neale Reinitz attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, graduating a year early in 1940. He served in the Army Air Force during World War 2 as a Cryptographer. Before and after military service he attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he was an active staff member of the Daily Cardinal. He then received an M.A. in English Literature from Harvard and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley for a thesis on "The French Revolution in English Newspaper Verse." In 1947, Neale married Beverly Gene Landay, and they remained married until Beverly Gene Landay, and they remained married until Beverly's death in 2000. Neale is survived by his sister Judith Lazarus of Lake Bluff, Illinois, a son John and daughter-in-law Ilene, both of Chicago, a granddaughter Julia, and his longtime companion Barbara Caley of Denver. Neale Reinitz was a Professor of English at Colorado College from 1953 to 1991, and remained active in the CC community until his death. His influence, both intellectual and human, affected many people at Colorado College, in the state of Colorado, nationally, and internationally. After retirement he studied the Russian language at Colorado College and in St. Petersburg, Russia. He carried out numerous scholarly projects after retirement, culminating in a biography of the poet and critic William Ellery Leonard which will be published in the next few months. Neale was an avid lover of the outdoors who backpacked throughout Colorado. He climbed all the Colorado fourteeners, and summitted the Grand Teton on his 60th birthday. Late in life he was an avid cross country bicyclist and a regular participant in Colorado College rides to Aspen. Other outdoor activities included travels in Scotland, the Altai Mountains, and rafting trips in Utah. Neale had a brilliant and unique sense of humor inspired by his love of the Marx Bothers, particularly Groucho. A memorial service celebrating Neale's life will take place at 1:30PM Saturday, November 3, 2012 at Shove Chapel at Colorado College. The service will be preceded by a showing of "Horsefeathers," the classic 1932 study of college life by the Marx Bothers, at noon in the Pilgrim Chapel of Shove. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Neale's name to the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (http://www.14ers.org/; 600 Jackson Street, Suite 352, Golden Colorado) to the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (http://www.rmfi.org/; 815 South 25th Street, Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO 80904), or to the Neale Reinitz Scholarship Fund (Colorado College).