This story begins with two people sitting on the sun drenched iron steps of the fire escape outside the old auditorium/gymnasium at Winslow High School. One of these people was a wild adventurous boy. The other was a young coach. As usual the boy was in trouble.

The coach was saying, "If you continue this way you are headed for trouble. If you don't change your attitude you are going to find yourself on the outside looking in, and in the long run you will be left out and left behind."

We talked for a few minutes more, the coach elaborating on his opening statement. I remember being impressed by his genuine concern. I was not a good listener in those days and Coach Nasser likely thought his words never found a place in my memory, but they did. I remembered them many times in the months and years that followed, and they helped me change my attitude and approach to life. When I later reflected on our conversation that day I was thankful he had taken the time to try to set me straight. He had a busy schedule, and I'm sure he had more important things to do. However, his words played an important role in my life. I never forgot them.

After my sister graduated from Winslow High School in 1950 my family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I spent my last two years of high school there graduating in 1952. I studied hard at Albuquerque High School. I made up the classes I had dropped at Winslow, and I changed my major from vocational to college prep.

I met my high school sweetheart in one of the classes I was making up, and we were married a few months after graduation. We have three children. Our son, the oldest, graduated from New Mexico Tech with a degree in computer science and works for the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Metropolitan Government. Our oldest daughter has a degree in accounting from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and works for the Pet Smart Corp. Our youngest daughter is married with four children, and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her husband is the regional manager for a real estate management company.

After completing high school I worked for the Santa Fe Railroad for two years, and then worked for the phone company for a few years. The phone company job introduced me to electricity and electronics, and I started attending evening classes at UNM. I had joined the National Guard some time previous to this and elected to go on active duty in the US Army at Ft Bliss, TX to attend electronics and missile schools.

After graduating from the US Army schools, and being released from active duty, I stayed on at Ft. Bliss as an electronics instructor working for the Philco Corporation. In those days, the electronics industry was booming and big companies were competing for knowledgeable technical people. I was lured away from Philco by Raytheon Company, and hired on with them in 1959 as a test engineer on HAWK missile system at their facility in El Paso, Texas. I later did some circuit design work for Raytheon and was eventually promoted into engineering management.

I spent thirty-three years with Raytheon. In the early sixties I accepted a couple of temporary assignments overseas, first to Germany, then, the next year, to Italy. A few years later I accepted an assignment to Germany as the Quality Assurance Manager in a missile equipment depot that Raytheon operated for the US Army. I spent four years on that job and we had a great time touring Europe on vacations and holidays.

At the end of the assignment in Germany I returned to the US for five years, and then accepted a job as Technical Operations Manager on Project Peace Shield in Iran. Project Peace Shield was a program to modernize the Iranian Armed Forces. Raytheon was responsible for installing Hawk missile sites throughout the country, and training Iranian military personnel to operate and maintain the missiles and related equipment. In those days Iran was full of excitement and adventure, and it was a fascinating place to live and work. After two years in Iran I was offered a similar job on a new program in Kuwait. We spent seven years in Kuwait, and observed the Iranian revolution from across the Persian Gulf, and also weathered the political upheavals of the Iran/Iraq war.

We returned to the States in 1983 where I spent the remainder of my career with Raytheon serving in various management positions of increasing responsibility. In 1992 with all our children grown and married I elected to take early retirement. My wife and I then moved to our farm in Missouri we bought many years ago where we now raise beef cattle.

Nan McNabb: Neil and his wife, Geri, spent many years living on their Missouri farm. As they aged, the demands of tending to cattle grew too strenuous, prompting them to sell the herd. They remained on the farm for several more years, enjoying frequent visits from their children, grandchildren, and other relatives. One memorable year, they hosted a family reunion, an event filled with joy for everyone involved.

In 2015, recognizing the need to be nearer to medical services, shopping, and other conveniences as they grew older, Neil and Geri sold the farm and relocated to Joplin, Missouri. They downsized into a new home, adapting to the rhythms of city life. Tragedy struck over the following years: their son, Scott, passed away in 2020, Geri followed in 2023, and their daughter, Valerie, in 2024. Neil carried on alone after Geri’s death until March 2025.