Roy G. Neville

October 15, 1926 ~ November 26, 2007

PEBBLE BEACH – Dr. Roy G. Neville, 85, died at his home. Born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, Dr. Neville, a world renowned scientist and bibliophile, came to the United States in 1951 on a Fulbright Scholarship. After receiving his B.Sc. degree with
honors from the University of London, he received both his Masters (Science) and Doctorate (Organic Chemistry) degrees from the University of Oregon.
   Dr. Neville was Senior Chemical Engineer and Head of the Polymer Research Lab for Boeing; principal scientist at North American Aviation; and Senior Scientist Specialist for the Bechtel Corporation.
In 1973, he founded Engineering and Technical Consultants, Inc., his own consulting firm.
   During his lifetime, Dr. Neville amassed an incomparable library of several thousand books related to Alchemical inquiry that spanned from the late 12th
century to the mid-19th century. The collection is now housed in the Roy G. Neville Library at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1963, he became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, London, and focused his research talents primarily in the Aerospace industry; including the Apollo Space project.
   Following his retirement, he turned his love of collecting toward Old Master paintings. His extensive collection of rare paintings will go to the University of Oregon and will become the Roy G. Neville Museum. His numerous accomplishments can be seen at chemicalheritagefoundation.org.
   He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, of fifty-five years, and daughters Jan Neville-Lambright of Los Osos and Laura of Los Angeles. Services will be held December 7, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. at the Paul Mortuary 390 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, California.