Neal entered Princeton from Goshen (N.Y.) Central High School and died Oct. 3, 2012, in Skaneateles, N.Y. He was 81.
His engineering roommate and Cannon clubmate Stirling “Hank” Aldrich, a sterling lineman for coach Charlie Caldwell’s championship football teams, recalls that Neal, a non-swimmer, was determined to make the swim squad. He constructed a miniature model of a swimmer/diver, found the center of gravity, and applied the necessary twists and turns. He practiced at 5 a.m. in Dillon Gym’s isolated pool and lettered for Coach Howie Stepp’s mermen.
After graduation, Neal attended Pratt Institute, where he met his future wife, Judith Laska. Hank last saw Neal years ago when he and Judith drove up to the Aldrichs’ home in a brand-new pink Cadillac that they had won selling Mary Kay Cosmetics. They tried in vain to persuade Hank and his wife, Lesley, to push the company’s products.
Neal and Judith raised their seven children — Cornelius III, Peter, Carolyn McAuliffe, Suzanne Excell, Sat Nam Kaur, Julianna, and Annabeth — on a sustainable farm called “The Ark.” Judith predeceased Neal. Their children survive, as do six grandchildren and Neal’s sister, Aubrey Nutter.
Neal had not maintained contact with the class and rarely communicated with Hank. We appreciate the time, however brief, that he shared with us.