Robert Neff Harcourt

Robert Neff Harcourt, 89, resident of Santa Fe, passed away on January 9, 2022. He was born on October 19, 1932 in East Orange, New Jersey to Mary E. Neff and Stanton H. Harcourt

He is preceded in death by his parents; Mary E. Neff and Stanton H. Harcourt, Sister; Ann Harcourt, and brother; James Stanton Harcourt.

He is survived by his nephews; William Robert Harcourt from Farwood, NJ, niece Katherine Ann Harcourt-Bellante from Cranford NJ, and widow of nephew; Danielle (Mrs. Charles John Harcourt) from Basking Ridge NJ.

Mr. Harcourt gives back through twenty-five consecutive years of table sponsorships for Santa Fe’s UNESCO recognized Institute of American Indian Arts annual August Scholarship Gala.

On May 5, 2019, Robert Neff Harcourt has been included in Marquis’ Albert Nelson Lifetime achievement Award.  As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value.  Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

For more than sixty years, Mr. Harcourt, a documented descendant of “one of the oldest Norman surnames” of Viking birth, has excelled in the arts, educational administration and counseling, journalistic writing, and social work, culminating in his current three-term role on the Foundation Board for the National Capital Campaign of the Institute of American Indian Arts.  He has also served on steering committees, as a contract consultant for the Kellogg Foundation, and as the teacher leader founder of the Eisenhower Student Ambassador program at IAIA. Additionally, he served as a national color ad participant for Chicago-based Bradford Exchange and on the advisory board of the former Genre Ltd Art Publications of Los Angeles.

Earlier in his career, he pursued social work in New Jersey before becoming involved in educational programs, working at such institutions as Hofstra University, the City College of New York, as an adjunct professor for Antioch College, and the University of Denver, where he presented his paper “Cyclic Regeneration” to the International Conference on General Semantics in Denver in 1968.  Mr. Harcourt also took course work at Worcester College, Oxford University, England.

He commenced his career in the United States Army in 1954, serving for two years in Germany with America’s first Atomic Cannon Unit.

An Expert in his field, Mr. Harcourt holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts from Columbia University.

To remain abreast of changes in the field, he has maintained affiliation with a number of organizations over the years, including the Association of Specialist of Group Work, the Southwestern Association for

Indian Arts, as a project consultant for the Phoenix Heard Museum and for the Salem, Massachusetts Peabody Essex Museum, and as a member of the five-state district 17 board for the American Contract Bridge League as a silver life master.  In his spare time, he has contributed to his community through two Aspen Fundraisers for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. He has donated his significant American Indian Library collection to Gettysburg College and to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Indian Arts.  He has been active with the Institute for the Preservation of the Original Languages of the Americas.

In light of his professional and military accomplishments, Mr. Harcourt earned the National Defense Service Medal in 1956, a postmaster’s fellowship to the University of Denver, and Distinguished Alumni Award from the Gettysburg College Alumni Association.  In addition, he was named an Honorary Okie by Governor Dewey F. Bartlett of Oklahoma and a Colonel Aide-de-Camp to New Mexico Governor David F. Cargo.  Mr. Harcourt also participated in the April 1973 month-long faculty/student IAIA art exhibit at the John. F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, DC.