Awards

President's Medal for Excellence - 1990

Reception in Honor of Irene D. Neu

Bloomington, Indiana

Presenter: Thomas Ehrlich

About Irene D. Neu

Irene Neu was born in Cincinnati on March 21, 1916. She graduated from Marietta College at age twenty-six, graduating in 1944 with a degree in history. She then entered Cornell University, where she attained her PhD in American economic history in 1950.

Irene had two major scholarly works, a biography of financier Erastus Corning (1794-1872) published in 1960 and a co-authored volume, THE AMERICAN RAILROAD NETWORK 1861-1890, published in 1956. She also published numerous scholarly articles in the field of American business history.

Dr. Neu held positions at Rockford College, Connecticut College, Southeast Missouri State, and the University of Illinois before joining the IUB faculty in 1964, where she served on numerous campus committees and was chapter president of Phi Beta Kappa and the American Association of University Professors in Bloomington.

After retiring from Indiana University in 1986, Irene returned to Marietta. In 1990, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Marietta College. Also in 1990, she was awarded the President's Medal by Indiana University.

Dr. Neu died on October 5, 2012, at age ninety-six.