He joined us from Von Steuben High School in Chicago, where his Cubs’ mania was cemented. At Princeton, he was a rugger and vice president of the new Stevenson Hall. But his passion was history, and he poured himself into his thesis, “The Negro and the Election of 1928,” under the exacting guidance of the renowned professor Arthur Link. In our 50th-reunion book Neal describes it as a personal achievement akin to any court battle he ever won.
After law school at Chicago, he went into bankruptcy law, practicing, litigating, and mentoring for 50 years in Phoenix, Chicago, and San Francisco. In recognition of his success, he was honored as a fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy.
Neal is survived by his wife, Laurie; children Michael and Brian Wolf, Jason and Brian Cardella, and Sarah Bilby; his brother Jeffrey; and their families. With Neal, we rejoice in our opportunity at a Princeton where “we were encouraged to believe that we were capable of making unique and important contributions.” May we each, as he did, have our chance to pitch to Ernie Banks, and to see our own Cubs win the World Series.