Dennis Neal

Groveton High School

Class of 1971

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Dennis Neal - Class of 1971 - Groveton High School

First Name	Dennis
Last Name	Neal
Graduation Year	Class of 1971
Gender	Male
Current Location	Norfolk, Virginia
Hometown	Lottsburg, Virginia
Relationship Status	Married
About Me	Have won more than a dozen awards from the Virginia Press Association during the period 1998-2007 such as Illustration, Layout & Design, Feature Writing, News Writing, Editorial Writing, Investigative Reporting and more, including their most prestigious individual award, the D. Lathan Mims Award for Community Service by an Editorial Writer. The following is an excerpt from the Richmond Times-Dispatch of January 10, 1999: Mims Award Dennis Neal of the Northern Neck News in Warsaw won the D. Lathan Mims award for community leadership by an editorial writer. The Mims award entries were judged by Sue Carter, professor of journalism at Michigan State University. Of Neal's entry, she wrote, "This is an excellent portfolio of work. The topics of the editorials and columns cover a wide range of topics and issues. In all cases, Neal's writing skills create powerful messages that appeal to both reason and emotion. His creativity in his columns and editorials made his work stand out among the entries. His use of parables and allusions to literature and popular culture helps to stimulate the reader's imagination and makes the columns and editorials come alive. "The writing is strong, but Neal's work also stands out because of its logic and strong sense for the community. ... " 'A tale from a small village' is a compelling use of a fairy tale motif to draw the reader into a local controversy. No other editorial or column in this competition came close to the creativity and effectiveness of his piece. A column complaining about how the local government treats police would not have held my interest to the degree that this parable did. "Equally powerful in its presentation was 'A true hero doesn't brag.' Without the use of allusion, Neal explains how a humble doctor can have a powerful impact on people and why the doctor, more than all the media icons, deserves to be called a hero." The Mims award is named for the late D. Lathan Mims, former editor and general manager of the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record and an active participant in the Virginia Press Association. He was president of VPA in 1974. Charles Dennis Neal Jr. was born on Nov. 6, 1953 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. His father, Charles Dennis Neal Sr., served in aviation in the United States Marine Corps beginning in 1934, retiring as a Sergeant Major in 1958. Neal was raised in the Northern Neck of Virginia, attending public school there from 1959 until graduation from Northumberland High School in 1971. Neal attended Virginia Commonwealth University from 1971 to 1973. From 1974 to 1994, Dennis Neal served as a U.S. Navy Journalist and Public Affairs Officer stationed at the U.S. Navy Fleet Support Office, Athens, Greece from 1974 to 1975; Navy Broadcasting Service Detachment U.S. Naval Air Facility, Sigonella, Sicily, 1975 to 1977; Southern European Broadcasting Service, Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy from 1977 to 1981; on the staff of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, from 1981 to 1984; aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66) at the time homeported in Norfolk, Va., from 1984 to 1988, including duty in Libyan waters during the combined force strike in response to terrorist acts committed by that nation in 1986; on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, NATO, Norfolk, Va. from 1988 to 1992, and at Navy Recruiting District, New York from 1992 to 1994. Upon his retirement in 1994 as a Chief Petty Officer, Neal taught English and American History in the Richmond County Public School System from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, Neal was a staff writer for the Northern Neck News, a weekly newspaper located in Warsaw, Va. owned by Chesapeake Publishing. During his tenure at the Northern Neck News, Neal was promoted to Executive Editor of the newspaper and also served briefly as editor of the King George Chronicle, another Chesapeake Publishing newspaper, located in King George, Va. From 1999 to 2007, Neal was the Opinions Editor for The News Leader, a Gannett Publishing-owned daily newspaper with an average circulation of 25,000 in the City of Staunton, Va. Neal served in that position until reporting for duty as Deputy Public Affairs Director, MARFORCOM. Neal received more than a dozen awards from the Virginia Press Association during his more than 10-year-long career in private sector journalism, including the D. Lathan Mims Award for Community Service by an Editorial Writer, Virginia’s highest award for editorial writing. Neal has been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), Navy Expeditionary Medal...(read more)