A memorial service was held in Greensboro on Thursday afternoon for Wilmington native and civil rights icon Major General Joseph Alfred McNeil.
The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumnus was one of the four Black freshmen who staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro on February 1, 1960.
Some of those in attendance at the service on campus shared their remembrances. Victor Simmons calls McNeil a giant.
"He was a young man who stood up for what was right at a young age, and he was a leader amongst men," says Simmons.
Retired A&T worker Nettie Rowland remembers McNeil fondly.
"He was very personable. 'How are you doing?' And easy to talk with. And he had a beautiful smile," says Rowland.
Laurie Norman has known the McNeil family for more than 30 years.
"He was a very humble man," says Norman. "He didn't speak much about things he did in the past. He was very kind, always looking to do good for others."
The 1 p.m. service was followed by a eulogy conducted by Rev. Dr. William Barber. He described the intimidation McNeil and his classmates faced from the angry white crowd on that fateful day, February 1, 1960.
"Most people don’t get very far because the sound is devilish, it is deafening, it is disorienting, and yet they sat there," Barber said. "Miraculously, God gave them the courage, the composure, and the commitment to sit down until we stood up."
McNeil passed away on September 4, 2025, at the age of 83.