Obituary: Professor Emerita Mary Davidson Earle

OBE BSc, PhD Glas., HonDSc Khon Kaen, HonFNZIFST, HonFEngNZ, HonDSc Massey University

Her students called her Dr Mary

All those who studied with Dr Mary Earle remember her with deep fondness, for her genuine love of all her students, of her subjects, which she taught with passion, and her perception of the bigger picture, that she was teaching them not how to design an experiment, but how to solve a puzzle, or a problem. Over the years, she has frequently said (in paraphrase), “Whether my students had careers in food technology, or ran a business making widgets, or took up website design, they all were educated to think, and how to find answers, and those are the basics of success.”

Through her years at Massey University Dr Mary, as she was known, was constantly engaged with the food industry.

She graduated B.Sc, Ph.D. from Glasgow University after studying Applied Chemistry and Food Science at the Royal Technical College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She worked firstly as Assistant lecturer in the Scottish School of Bakery, then for five years in product development with Unilever (Colworth) and Cerebos (Colinton, Edinburgh) and, before joining Massey University, four years at the Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand, introducing product development to the New Zealand meat industry.

This experience was the basis for introducing Product Development (PD) to the Food Technology degree at Massey University in 1966, with two Thai students, Patchree Chittaporn and Montharop Smitanananda. This grew into a PD option in the Food Technology degree, a multidisciplinary course including knowledge of products, processing, marketing and consumers. The final year students undertook PD projects in co-operation with food companies, a custom which continues across all Massey Technology fields. The aims of the PD option were knowledge, problem solving skills and creativity. Later, postgraduate studies in PD were introduced.

The NZIFST was one of Mary’s passions. From drafting and ensuring the adoption of the Institute’s first Code of Ethics in 1969, to supporting the Foodwatch and Careers programmes of the 1980s, and as the instigator of the Food Awards, recognising excellence in New Product Development, Mary actively participated in NZIFST matters throughout her life. The Institute recognised her contribution in 1973, when she was made a Fellow, and in 1979 when she was the recipient of the J C Andrews Award. In 1994 she was made an Honorary Fellow of NZIFST and in the same year Massey University awarded her a personal chair in recognition of an outstanding career in the Faculty of Technology. In 2018 Massey University made her and her husband, Professor Dick Earle, Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).

During all her years at Massey, Mary was involved with the food industry; first in the development of the Quality Bakers concept with a group of independent bakers which involved innovation in products, processing, marketing and finance. [My final year PD project, in 1974, was with Quality Bakers (Ed)]. She then worked with the Food Technology Research Centre in the early development of new industries such as macadamia nuts, oyster farming, hoki and orange roughy fishing. Mary became Director of the Centre until Dean Stockwell was appointed as Director.

Mary was also involved in many workshops in New Zealand, mainly for the bakery and bacon industries but also for other groups such as the local retailers. Workshops in Product Development were also organised in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand.

Membership of Committees and Boards started with the Food Standards Committee which developed the first modern Food Standards. The Boards included the Export and Import Corporation, the Meat Research Institute, the NZ Pork Industry Board, Telarc, finally ending in the Crop and Food Research Institute. There were government committees on tertiary education, universities review, and the “Step Panel” which set priorities for science and technology in New Zealand.

She also worked in S.E. Asia, mainly in Thailand, but also Malaysia and the Philippines. There were a number of projects in the development of technology courses, particularly in Product Development, including nutritional improvement projects such as the introduction of cowpeas as a crop to increase dietary protein in N.E. Thailand, and industrial advice to a number of companies.

At the NZIFST 40th Anniversary Party in 2005, with a fellow pioneer, Mary Lewin, who as Mary Humphries, taught at Massey with Mary in the 1960s, before marrying Harry Lewin, who was a signatory on the NZIFST charter. Both women were foundation members of NZIFST

After her retirement in 1994, in co-operation with Dick Earle, she has published four books on Food Product Development. They have also launched two Trusts – The Richard and Mary Earle Technology Trust which supports undergraduate and postgraduate students in Engineering and Technology, including product development, and the Earle Creativity and Development Trust in Manawatu and Rangitikei supports creative people in a wide range – Visual Arts, History/ Literature, Music, as well as in Science and Technology.

NZIFST Members remember Mary Earle

Hugh Ivory: As a former President of NZIFST (and probably the oldest surviving one) I would like to pay my tribute to an outstanding woman. Mary was one of the key factors in the establishment of both the Food Technology Faculty at Massey University, and the Institute. As a result, the Faculty and its graduates are highly sought after internationally. She was my contemporary. Her strength was Product Development Technology. For most of my career Product (and Process) Technology Management was my role and I benefitted very much from what I learned from her.

During my Presidency I had the honour of presenting Mary with the JC Andrews Award – she was the first woman to receive it. She also leaves the legacy of the Dick and Mary Earle Scholarship in Technology. Farewell Mary – you will be greatly missed

Jim Fraser: I will never forget my first lecture when I did my Dairy Dip, from Prof Riddet in 1950, he spoke such broad Scottish, we could hardly follow it. He gave us a copy in English of course. Mary brought it all back with her first lecture, but we did not get a translation from Mary!

They were great leaders; we were so lucky to have them leading us over the years.

Anne Scott: As one of her early PD students in the class of 75, I remember her kindness to all of us, her sometimes acerbic wit (maybe that's the Scot) and how she maintained contact with all of us over the years.

As a newish graduate I was involved in organising conferences, Mary always had an idea of who might be an appropriate speaker. She taught me that everyone is approachable, especially if you are asking them to share their knowledge. As (now) an elder of NZIFST, I realise that networking was one of Mary's most notable talents.

Allan Main: Greatly saddened to learn of Mary’s passing. Mary was one of the biggest influences in my life. I used to regularly see Mary and Dick at chamber music performances and would always make sure to chat.

(KK) Lim Kay Kong: Graduated 1976 It is with great sadness that I learn of the demise of our beloved Mentor in Product Development, Food Technology Faculty at Massey University, Dr Mary Earle. All of her students will remember this great person, including her overseas students from Singapore and Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. During her few visits to Singapore, she tried very hard to convince the educational authorities here to start a degree course in Food Science and Technology where she offered Massey's help. Though it was too early then, she would be happy to note that Singapore eventually established a branch here, initially with the Singapore Polytechnic and now with the Singapore Institute of Technology.

She was here with Prof. Richard at the 7th IUFOST World Congress in Singapore in 1987. She never failed to send a Christmas card except the later years. May we express our deepest condolences to Prof. Richard Earle - Dr Mary Earle holds a special place in our hearts and she shall always be remembered.

Conrad and Anne Perera: Dick and Mary have been great role models for us ever since we arrived in New Zealand in 1981. Initially, while living in Masterton, we used to visit Massey University and there they were, always encouraging and guiding us in our own professional pathways. Student projects in product Development kept us in contact in the later years and when we moved to Palmerston North in 2004, we saw more of them and Mary helped in getting the then Manawatu Branch of NZIFST revitalised…

It is with great sadness that we say “Goodbye” to such a great lady who has touched many lives, including ours over the past forty years! May her soul Rest in Peace

John Brooks: When I arrived at the Department of Food Technology in June 1977, Mary sat with me in the tea room talking about the Department and my potential place in it. A year or so later, she bailed me up and said “Come on Broooooks (sic) get that PhD written and submitted”. I said that I didn’t think it was worth completing it, as I already had a job as a lecturer. Mary would have none of that and offered to help by reading my draft thesis, as my PhD supervisor had effectively abandoned me and six other students. She covered my draft with red ink! I eventually completed the job and submitted it. It is a tribute to her that I passed the examination and had not a single correction to make. Without her input, I would not have eventually finished my career as a Professor of food microbiology.

Former Students and Staff of many Thai Universities: We would like to express, on behalf of former Thai students who have known Prof. Mary Earle from the 60s up to now, our condolences. Many of us here knew her personally. Her kindness toward Thai students and her tireless helping hands extended to many universities in Thailand, were well-loved. She will be forever missed.

NZIFST President, Richard Archer, has more to say about Mary in his Editorial, pg. 5.