Dr. Timothy Neary

Areas of Expertise

• 20th-century U.S. urban history, with a special focus on the intersections of religion, race, civil rights, youth, sports and social movements

Education

• A.B. in American studies, Georgetown University (1993)
• M.A. in U.S. history, Loyola University Chicago (1997)
• Ph.D. in U.S. history, Loyola University Chicago (2004)

View My CV

What's My Why?

As a specialist in U.S. urban history, I am fortunate to live, study and teach in Newport, one of the most unique historical and culturally significant places in America. Each year, approximately four million tourists visit the city by the sea. For my students and me, however, Newport is our home and living laboratory. Field trips to some of the nation's most important colonial and Gilded Age historic sites, along with opportunities to conduct research and hold internships at world-class institutions like the Redwood Library and Athenaeum (founded in 1747), are only minutes away from Salve's stunningly beautiful campus, which itself includes 21 historically significant buildings that are part of seven contiguous 19th-century estates.

Professional Experience

I am active in numerous professional history organizations, including the Urban History Association (UHA), for which I served as executive director between 2015 and 2017. In my role as executive director, I managed the day-to-day operations of the academic professional organization with more than 500 members worldwide. My most significant responsibility was managing the UHA's Eighth Biennial Conference in Chicago in October 2016, which included more than 700 attendees and a budget exceeding $100,000. The four-day conference included more than 150 panels, plenaries and roundtables, five historic walking tours, a book exhibit featuring 14 university presses, two off-site receptions at prominent Chicago cultural institutions, and a gala banquet/award ceremony attended by 170. Moreover, university presses and scholarly journals regularly call on me to give expert feedback on book and journal manuscripts under consideration for publication.

Media Coverage

New York Times, Chicago Tribune

Selected Publications

Neary, Timothy B. Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914-1954. University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Neary, Timothy B. “‘An Inalienable Right to Play’: African American Participation in the Catholic Youth Organization,” in Elliott J. Gorn, ed., Sports in Chicago. University of Illinois Press, 2008, pp. 164-196.

Neary, Timothy B. “Legacies and Lessons from the People’s Bishop: Chicago’s Bernard J. Sheil (1886–1969).” American Catholic Studies vol. 130, no. 3, fall 2019, pp. 111-128.

Neary, Timothy B. “Basketball, Nuns, and Civil Rights: Loyola University Chicago Confronts Race in 1963.” U.S. Catholic Historian, vol. 36, no. 2, spring 2018, pp. 101-139.

Neary, Timothy B. “Buying the Dream: Identity, Authenticity, and Mass Consumption in Black America.” Journal of Urban History vol. 36, no. 2, January 2010, pp. 116-122.