Joseph Alfred McNeil

Joseph McNeil was an Air Force ROTC student. A Wilmington native, he graduated from Williston Senior High. McNeil received a degree in engineering physics from A&T in 1963. His roommate was Ezell Blair Jr.

McNeil was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1964 and was a navigator on the KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling/cargo aircraft.

In 1969, he joined the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a major general. He also worked at IBM and Bankers Trust in New York and as a stockbroker for E.F. Hutton in Fayetteville. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration, where he was a manager of the FAA’s New York Flight Standards Division, Eastern Region, Europe and Africa.

McNeil has lived in Hempstead, N.Y., since 1970. He received the village of Hempstead’s Medal of Honor in 2002. McNeil’s wife, the former Ina Brown, is a descendant of Sioux warrior Sitting Bull. They have five children.

Audio (MP3)

Bennett College's idea? (:33)
Ralph Johns' involvement (:48)
It was a downpayment for manhood (:55)
Why Woolworth? (1:14)
Suprised at national recogntion so soon (:35)
A&T Chancellor Gibbs' reaction (1:27)
Violence breaks out at the sit-ins (1:32)
The community and broad leadership made it possible (2:34)
Why the movement was so interesting; it went against tradition (:38)
Why the sit-ins stayed non-violent (:55)
When McNeil realized it made an impact (1:11)
"It's been a good life" (1:56)