Neale Wilke Clapp ’55

Neale Wilke Clapp ’55 died on March 18, 2015. He came to Dartmouth from Maplewood, New Jersey, and majored in English. A member of Zeta Psi, Neale was also a Kappa Phi Kappa and joined the staff of The Dartmouth. After Army service he received an M.A. in behavioral science while working as a probation officer in Essex, New Jersey. Neale was initially interested in rehabilitation, doing research at New York University from 1966 to 1969. He became a freelance consultant and then joined Block Petrella Associates as vice president in 1971. He wrote several articles on behavior and became interested in robotics early on, particularly their acceptance by workers and management. For many years he was dean of team building and process consultation for the National Training Laboratory in Bethel, Maine, and was a member of the original faculty of the master of science in organizational development program at Pepperdine University. Neale was a descendant of the Clapp family members who came from England in 1650 to found the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was a lifelong student of American history, especially the pre-Revolutionary period. An active anti-racist, Neale marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. He is survived by three daughters, five grandchildren and good friend Barbara. His last wife predeceased him in 2005.