Maj. Gen. Joseph A. McNeil

Maj. Gen. Joseph A. McNeil, one of the members of the A&T Four, whose sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960 electrified a nation and ultimately helped pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act, passed away Thursday, Sept. 4. He was 83 years old. 

Just 17 at the time, McNeil was the catalyst for the four freshmen and their bold actions against racial discrimination and Jim Crow laws and practices.

Within 1 1/2 months, their protest expanded from four freshmen in Greensboro to 50,000 participants in 55 cities across 13 states. Even President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke out on their behalf. They changed Woolworth's policy by late July 1960. Hundreds of businesses across the south followed suit. In 1964, the landmark U.S. Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in public accommodations nationwide. 

None of that would have been possible with Joseph McNeil whose commitment to ensuring America stood up to the ideals it was founded upon led him first to work to fix his country, then to serve his country. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force after his 1963 graduation from A&T with a B.S. in engineering physics. He rose through the ranks for six years, serving in Vietnam and attaining the rank of captain in 1969, when he transitioned from active duty to the Air Force Reserves. He served for 31 more years before retiring in 2000 and earning the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

We invite all who knew Maj. Gen. Joseph McNeil to share a special memory of him. We will publish those remembrances below the submission form on this page and share them with the McNeil family. (E-mail and telephone numbers shared below will only be used to confirm submissions and will not be published on this site.)