Major General Joseph McNeil has died

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington native Major General Joseph McNeil has died, according to his family.

McNeil graduated from Williston Senior High School in Wilmington and then made history along with three other young black men, later named the Greensboro Four, who held a sit-in at a Woolworth Department Store’s segregated lunch counter on February 1, 1960.

Their refusal to leave launched sit-ins, protests, and boycotts that helped tackle head-on the issue of segregation.

After college McNeil went on to a decorated career in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves.

He retired with the rank of major general.

Today McNeil remains a symbol of determination in the face of adversity. He and the other members of the Greensboro Four are honored with a statue and buildings named after them on the campus of NC A&T.

McNeil has also received several honorary degrees, including one from UNC Wilmington.

The City of Wilmington honored McNeil through a ceremony and dedicated a portion of 3rd Street to his memory back in 2019.