Friday 9 October 2020

Dr John Feneley
(1943-2020)

We regret to announce the death on 6th October of Dr John Feneley, Founder of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (“CMRS”) and a former Fellow by Special Election of Keble College.

John, with his wife Sandy, founded CMRS in 1975 as a study abroad programme for international students, mostly from colleges and universities in the USA.  Since the 1980s CMRS students have been Associate Members of Keble and have contributed in many different ways to the life of the College. When John retired he continued to serve on the Board of CMRS whilst Middlebury College took over the running of the programme, which remains one of the most popular study abroad programmes in Oxford.

John combined his passion for medieval and renaissance studies with entrepreneurial flair, charm and immense energy, qualities essential for the setting up and sustaining of such an ambitious programme. The Centre, located in St Michael’s Hall on Shoe Lane, close to Carfax, houses the Feneley Library, a significant academic and antiquarian collection.