Menu
Search by Name
Search by Name
FUNERAL HOME
Kenneth PORTER Obituary
Memories and Condolences
for Kenneth PORTER
5 Entries
Brett Heagren
Yesterday
I was deeply saddened to hear of Ken´s passing, and I wanted to share my heartfelt condolences. Ken was far more than a friend to those of us who knew him-he was a brilliant storyteller, an unquenchable seeker of knowledge, and a gracious companion whose warmth could light up any room.
Ken´s ninety-nine remarkable years were filled with stories that still leave his listeners in awe. He could shift from recounting the day he met Queen Elizabeth II to a lively tale of being briefly arrested in Washington DC-always punctuated by his sharp wit and a twinkle in his eye. His career as a librarian at the University of Auckland suited him perfectly; surrounded by books and academia. And the staff common room always felt richer whenever Ken joined our conversations, cognac or Pinot Gris in hand, ready to debate international affairs or recommend a hidden gem of a restaurant for our next meal.
Jim Frood
Yesterday
Kenneth was the always avuncular member of the smallish but still select group who populated pretty much the same table in the University Buttery, aka Bar. Michael Graves always used the former term of the location of these frequent meetings. The conversation amongst the group of Ken, Michael Graves, Tony Spalinger, Chris Kyle, Brett Heagren and Marriot Hornsby was always good natured and interesting for a relative outsider. I'm not sure if I have spelled Marriot's Christian name correctly. There were others who floated in and out as well. Ken also helped out with some popular dramatic presentations for Year 13 History Schools' Days for a time as well. Michael enlisted or conscripted him into the programme. I doubt Ken was really conscripted. He enjoyed such occasions. His long life is an eloquent testimony the value of friendship, wine, discussion and reading.
Chris
October 19, 2025
I first met Ken when I was a student at Auckland University and he was 2IC at the university library. A wonderful raconteur, charming, funny and excellent company, a longtime stalwart of the Senior common room, where he could be found most lunchtimes and after work, usually in the company of Michael Graves, Meremere Penfold and many of those who have now passed on. He loved the opera, the ballet and the theatre and acted in and produced many shows, particularly at the Ellerslie Players and Glen Eden. He had an astonishing private library in his Shortland street apartment. On most weekends he would travel to his late fathers place in Pukekohe, which he used to refer to as going to his little dacha. I still have the collapsible top hat he gave me years ago. It was his opera topper. Rest in peace Ken, you were one of a kind.
Anthony Spalinger
October 18, 2025
To add: Kenneth's small autobiography I found via his UoA Librarty colleague Judith Haswell:
"My Brindled Career," COMLA Newsletter 75 (1992): 5-6. 9.,
Anthony Spalinger
October 15, 2025
This was a shock and I learned about Ken's passing away only today, and by chance. I knew him from the mid 1980s when he was Deputy Librarian at the University of Auckland and I a Senior Lecturer in Classics & Ancient History.
We met frequently every week and he and I attended many lectures and shows together. Later, in the 1990s and early 2000s we worked together on the Executive Committee of the Staff Common Room, UoA.
He was quite a character, conversant with the theatre and a good actor as well. But as well Ken was a voracious reader.
Few will know that he wrote a MA Thesis on South East Asia here at the UoA.
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 results