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Submitted: 1/25/21 • Approved: 1/25/21 • Last Updated: 1/28/21 • R381992-G381990-S3
Horace Neill
1923 - 2017
June
1924 - 1971
Section: Companion Garden I
*Obituary
Dr. H. Neill McFarland, Professor Emeritus of History of Religion at Perkins School of Theology, SMU, passed away July 14, 2017. Born in Dallas on September 3, 1923, he lived there most of his 93 years. A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High, he received a BA from TCU, BA from SMU, and PhD from Columbia University. He served as Assistant Pastor of First Methodist Church of Dallas (1946-47), Associate Pastor of Crown Heights Methodist in Oklahoma City (1947-49) and Pastor of Goodsell Memorial Methodist Church in Brooklyn (1949-1954). Neill joined the SMU faculty in 1954 and served as Associate Dean of Perkins (1966), Vice President and Provost of SMU (1967-72), and Director of International Programs (1975-79). He authored two books, The Rush Hour of the Gods and Daruma: The Founder of Zen in Japanese Art and Popular Culture, and numerous professional articles. He retired in 1988. As a visiting professor at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan (1956-57), he developed a lifelong fascination with Japan, which he visited 14 times. In 1970, he founded the Japan-America Society of Dallas. In 1986, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, by the Emperor of Japan for his contributions to mutual understanding and friendship between the U.S. and Japan. Deeply committed to the importance of understanding other cultures, he was a prolific lecturer in the community about religions of the world. In Dallas, he served leadership roles in the Japan-America Society, Dallas United Nations Association, Thanks-Giving Square Foundation, and Multicultural Community Center. In his personal life, he was an avid collector of crosses of the world, stamps, and Japanese folk art, and he enjoyed carpentry, creative woodwork, and tennis. Preceding him in death were his wife June Balch McFarland and his parents George Albert McFarland and Anna Josephine Neill McFarland. He is survived by his wife Connie of 44 years; his and June's three daughters Sharon Groves, Anna McFarland, and Marsha McFarland; brother George A. McFarland, Jr., and wife Rosario; stepson Bill Kamperman and wife Jean; grandson Brad Groves; granddaughter Erin Street and husband Chip; and great-grandchildren Briana Street and Ayden, Jackson, and Connor Groves. He also leaves nephews and nieces Steve and Anne McFarland, Maria and John McFarland Sanchez-Moreno, David Steel, Janice Normile, Esther Duncan, Jim Routt, and Cindy Losak. Memorial service will be Thursday, July 27, at 3 pm in Perkins Chapel, SMU. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of H. Neill McFarland to the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, www.jasdfw.org.
Published in Dallas Morning News on Jul. 19, 2017.
Photo courtesy of Annette Shaw
Contributed on 1/25/21 by hawkinsdonna48
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Record #: 381992
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