John Reid (professor of English)
Encyclopedia
Professor John Cowie Reid (4 January 1916 – 31 May 1972) was a New Zealand
professor of English and founding chairman of the Mercury Theatre
.
, New Zealand
on 4 January 1916. He was educated at Sacred Heart College
and Auckland University College. After some time spent in various occupations, he became a secondary school teacher at Auckland Grammar School
for short periods before and after the Second World War. From 1942 to 1946, he served with the New Zealand Military Forces, partly in the Army Education Service. He was active in musical, film, literary, and Roman Catholic organisations. In 1952–53 he engaged in research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
He was renowned as a superb lecturer, lively, cogent and persuasive. A man of great determination and energy, he was a noted broadcaster and a writer for periodicals. He was the founding chairman of the Mercury Theatre
. From 1966 until its closure in 1992, the Mercury grew to become New Zealand
's largest, most prolific professional theatre company.
Reid died prematurely, on 31 May 1972, leaving a wife, Joyce, six sons and a daughter.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
professor of English and founding chairman of the Mercury Theatre
Mercury Theatre (Auckland)
The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, located on Mercury Lane, off Karangahape Road. It was built in 1910, by the architect Edward Bartley and is the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. Built in the English Baroque style, it was initially known as the Kings Theatre. However,...
.
Biography
John Cowie Reid was born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 4 January 1916. He was educated at Sacred Heart College
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Sacred Heart College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land overlooking the Tamaki Estuary in Glen Innes.- History :The college was opened in 1903 in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers...
and Auckland University College. After some time spent in various occupations, he became a secondary school teacher at Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School is a state secondary school for years 9 to 13 boys in Auckland, New Zealand. It had a roll of 2,483 in 2008, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Tibbs' House, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand...
for short periods before and after the Second World War. From 1942 to 1946, he served with the New Zealand Military Forces, partly in the Army Education Service. He was active in musical, film, literary, and Roman Catholic organisations. In 1952–53 he engaged in research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
He was renowned as a superb lecturer, lively, cogent and persuasive. A man of great determination and energy, he was a noted broadcaster and a writer for periodicals. He was the founding chairman of the Mercury Theatre
Mercury Theatre (Auckland)
The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, located on Mercury Lane, off Karangahape Road. It was built in 1910, by the architect Edward Bartley and is the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. Built in the English Baroque style, it was initially known as the Kings Theatre. However,...
. From 1966 until its closure in 1992, the Mercury grew to become New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's largest, most prolific professional theatre company.
Reid died prematurely, on 31 May 1972, leaving a wife, Joyce, six sons and a daughter.
Principal publications
- A Book of New Zealand (1979)
- The Mind and Art of Coventry Patmore (1978)
- The Hidden World of Charles Dickens (1977)
- Bucks and Bruisers: Pierce Egan and Regency England (1971)
- Thomas Hood (1963)
- Francis Thompson, Man and Poet (1959)
- The Mind and Art of Coventry Patmore (1957)
- Creative Writing in New Zealand (1946)