People from all walks of life join positive thinkers clubs.

They may be striving for personal growth, seeking community or pursuing enhanced well-being.

Noel Veitch was a member of the local Positive Thinkers Club and served as its long-time treasurer. Perhaps he joined to connect with optimistic friends and build a supportive circle, because those who knew him say he was the epitome of a positive thinker — and he turned that positivity toward helping create communities.

Prof. Veitch graduated from Memorial in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree and joined the Faculty of Education a few years later. He left an indelible mark during his 31 years there, treating students with kindness, compassion, kind-hearted humour and limitless empathy.

He retired from teaching in 1992, but that only gave him more time to share his positive outlook and infectious smile in other places.

When the father of convocation and close friend, Prof. Jack Facey, retired as marshal of convocation in 1997, Prof. Veitch took up the mantle, having served as deputy marshal since 1980.

With his impish humour and gentle ways, he calmed frayed nerves as he led students through the pomp of the solemn ceremony.

His spirit of giving and sense of community translated into what is arguably his greatest contribution to Memorial: the Campus Food Bank.

The food bank opened its doors in 1996. It was established by Judy Rose, then employee assistance programme co-ordinator at Memorial; Paul Thornhill, then-president of the students’ union; and Prof. Veitch. Its need was obvious then, and visits to the food bank have increased 123 per cent in the past seven years alone.

In recognition of his long-standing commitment as volunteer co-ordinator at the food bank, he received the Glenn Roy Blundon Award, presented annually to an individual or group who has surpassed normal duties to promote equality and accessibility for Memorial students with disabilities.

 

Volunteers Pradeep Bobby and Noel Veitch at the campus food bank. Photo by Chris Hammond from Memorial University Archives.

 

In 2001, he was named alumnus of the year. He was nominated by a student who noted that, as she was writing the nomination, Prof. Veitch was still carting boxes of food into Corte Real – 10 years after his retirement.

She wrote, “His unconditional and deep concern for both the academic and personal needs of students is evident everywhere, and his old green car is a welcome sight here on campus every other day.”

Given that he was a founding member of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (NSO), it was fitting that the alumni of the year celebration was a concert-variety show — the most customized event ever held.

Hosted by the Spirit of Newfoundland, highlights included tributes and the occasional roast, including one from Memorial’s then-chancellor, the Hon. Dr. John Crosbie, who joked that the professor was a great “son of a Veitch.”

Prof. Veitch not only co-founded the NSO but also played violin and viola for more than 40 years, served as a board member and mentored countless young musicians. Not surprisingly, in 2001, he received the Telegram/Hotel Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the NSO.

He later gained federal recognition with the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, which acknowledged his work not only with the food bank and the NSO but also with new Canadians, the arts community and Meals on Wheels.

When Prof. Veitch’s wife, Mary, was asked how much time her husband spent doing volunteer work, she replied, “Eight days a week.”

Prof. Veitch did more than create communities. He gave back to his community. Through his teaching and volunteer work, he touched countless lives for the better. And as a friend once noted, “The world was a better place for him being in it.”