Page 13 - NJC Newsletter 2014-Spring

In the cemetery record book entry, Leonard Wilde’s address is identified as Crêt Taconnet 4, Neuchâtel.
Mr. Wilde has been described as highly intelligent, imaginative, kind, generous, gentle, and an excellent teacher who made history come alive! As Patrick Gossage ’57 wrote in his reflection upon NJC’s 50th anniversary, Mr. Wilde was “a caring man of great sensitivity who marked our lives in so many ways” and “who loved truth and beauty.” By all accounts, Mr. Wilde deeply affected all students who had the privilege of knowing him as a teacher and as a person.
Just as the new school year was getting underway in the fall of 1965, Leonard Wilde and one of his students, David Darling, died in a tragic car accident. They were travelling to Interlaken to join the rest of the class who were en route by bus. As much as alumni and staff from that year have profound memories of this time, the exact circumstances surrounding Leonard Wilde’s final resting place are unknown.
Recently, an alumnus came forward to express how much Mr. Wilde had meant to him, and so much so that he wished to pay respects at his gravesite. All of these years, the location has been a mystery, with some believing Mr. Wilde was buried in his beloved Switzerland, while others believing he was interred in Great Britain where he was born.
It occurred to everyone on staff at NJC that this mystery must be solved. We should know our founder’s final resting place. Head of School, Bill Boyer inquired about the location of Mr. Wilde’s gravesite with the assistance of former teacher, Larry Barnes and Jim Thayer, the
Leonard Wilde reviewing work with a student.
man who took over as Head at the time of Mr. Wilde’s passing. Mr. Thayer lives in a home for the aged nearby Neuchâtel in the village of Hauterive. Seemingly a breakthrough, Mr. Thayer shared that Mr. Wilde was buried in the Cimetière Beauregard in Neuchâtel. At last, it was comforting and fitting to know that Mr. Wilde had been with us all along, at peace in the city that he loved.
Visiting the cemetery in early 2014, Mr. Boyer learned that Mr. Wilde was indeed buried there, but this is where the mystery resumes. There are records of Mr. Wilde’s burial, but he was moved eight months later. The cemetery keeper was kind enough to pull out the large, original, hand-written register for Mr. Boyer so that he could search for any more clues. The entry details Mr. Wilde’s full name (Leonard Thomson Wilde), his father’s name (Marc), date of birth (January 9, 1912), place of birth (illegible...Kentstown?), his address (Crêt Taconnet 4 Neuchâtel), the location of death (Unterseen outside of Interlaken), the date he was buried (September 29, 1965) and when he was exhumed (May 31, 1966), yet with no explanation as to why or where. An eerie coincidence was also revealed by the register—Mr. Wilde’s birthday, January 9th, just so happened to be the same day that Mr. Boyer had unwittingly chosen to visit the cemetery!
It is suspected that Mr. Wilde was re-patriated, but we haven’t any idea where. Leonard Wilde was born in Great Britain. Mr. Wilde’s sister, his only known living relative at that time, was believed to have lived in Belgium at the time of his passing. This is unfortunately all that we know. If anyone in the NJC Community has any insights that may help us to further our research, we would be very thankful. We owe this to Mr. Wilde along with our enduring gratitude for founding such an extraordinary school. Please contact us at alumni@neuchatel.org with any clues you may be able to share.
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Leonard Wilde addresses students in a ship’s cinema en route to Europe.