Leonard John Wild (28 October 1889 – 23 July 1970) was a New Zealand teacher, agricultural scientist, lecturer, principal, educationalist, and writer.

Early life

Born at Oraki near Riverton in Southland in 1889, he received his secondary education at

Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881 and ...

. He received his tertiary education from the University of Otago and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1910, a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1917 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1921. During the 1910s, he published several papers on geology in the ''Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute'', which resulted in him being elected fellow of the Geological Society of London.

Career

In 1911, he was appointed as a science teacher at

Marlborough High School Marlborough High School is a secondary school in Zimbabwe which is located in a Harare suburb called Marlborough. Marlborough is to the north of Harare City Centre and lies between the roads leading to Chinhoyi and Bindura from Harare. Marlboroug ...

(now Marlborough Boys' College) when it was still a coeducational school. In 1915, he became chemistry lecturer at

Canterbury Agricultural College Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultur ...

(now Lincoln University) in Lincoln, New Zealand. In 1921, Wild was science lecturer at

Christchurch Teachers' College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

. In the following year, he moved to the Feilding Technical High School to become the inaugural headmaster. Wild's management of the school gave it both a national and international reputation, and

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

as minister of Education gave funding for the school to become Feilding Agricultural High School. Wild retired at the end of 1946. Wild was a member of the Senate of the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

from 1930 until its dissolution in 1961. From 1949 to its dissolution, he was pro–chancellor for the institution.

Honours and awards

In the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginnin ...

, Wild was appointed Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. In the

1952 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1952 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, he was promoted to be a Commander of the same order. In 1953, he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

. The University of New Zealand made Wild an honorary

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

in 1957.

Family and death

Wild married Doris Churton (1890–1982) in December 1911 at

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

's All Saints Anglican. They had four children. Their son Richard Wild was Chief Justice of New Zealand from 1966 to 1978. Their only daughter, Dora, married the jurist John White. On 23 July 1970, Wild died in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. He was survived by his wife and four children. He was cremated in Wellington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild, Leonard 1889 births 1970 deaths Heads of schools in New Zealand New Zealand earth scientists New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire University of Otago alumni

Early life

Career

Honours and awards

Family and death

See also

References