Edgar Neufeld obituary | IBM
My father, Edgar Neufeld, who died at the age of 92, was a Jewish refugee from Nazism who became a scientific and senior executive of IBM. He then devoted himself to charitable works in the field of education, for which he was appointed Obe in 2003.
After the family escaped from Vienna in 1938, Edgar grew up with his parents, Martha (née Fuchs) and Sigi Neufeld, and his Sister Inge, in Manchester in a building that housed many other Jewish refugees. Sigi was a businessman and Martha later had a gift shop in London. Life has gradually become normal and Edgar attended Manchester high school and Manchester City football matches.
He graduated in physics at the University of Manchester in 1953, then made a doctorate on radioastronomy at the Jodrell Bank radio observatory. It was on duty at night when the first artificial satellite, Spoutnik, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. While many radiotelescopes could detect the signals of Spoutnik transponders, Jodrell Bank was the only one in the world to be able to use a radar to follow the second floor of the rocket that launched it. The American army then went to the Cheshire campaign to obtain key information on the size of the carrier rocket, as none of the American facilities could provide them.
It was during his higher education that Edgar meets Sue Robinson, who will later become ceramist. They got married in 1958 and had two children, me and my brother Robert.
After obtaining his doctorate in 1961, Papa began his long and fruitful career at IBM as a scientific researcher, and the family settled in East Finchley, north of London. It was at the time when computers took off and IBM was at the forefront of progress. He climbed the ladder to finally become group director at IBM Europe (1986-89).
By leaving IBM, he had a second “career” in the promotion of social justice and education for all, sitting on the Council of Governors of Middlesex Polytechnic, in particular as president during his transition from the Polytechnic at the University, as a administrator and vice-president of the Charitable Association for the Sans-Abri Shelter (1992-95) Governors of the Parkview Academy (a new departure school that succeeded a school in check, 1999-2006). In Middlesex, he was also appointed honorary professor and assistant chancellor in 2000. During graduation ceremonies, he always talked with his heart, based on his own refugee experience, to inspire the promotions of graduates who included many people who – like him – were the first of their family to pursue higher education.
Sue died in 2023. Edgar is survived by Robert and I, five grandchildren, Yannick, Luke, Daniel, Elsa and Avi, and Inge.
