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Born in Chicago in 1944, the first of his generation, Neal grew up on Chicago's North Shore. There he learned good values, ethics, and nutrition, received a good education, and took up golf at 13, which became a lifelong passion. He also learned lessons from his great-grandfather, who came to America in the 1890s and sold brooms, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper from a pushcart. Three generations later, that pushcart business had become the largest paper distributor in the city. Neal worked in the warehouse during parts of his summers and rode along on the delivery trucks, which began his education in packaging and business.
After an unsatisfying freshman year at the University of Illinois, he embarked in 1963 on the maiden voyage of the University of the Seven Seas, a floating university aboard a converted German troop transport. Over five months, the ship sailed around the world from New York to 16 countries, including several in southern Europe, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia, before crossing the Pacific to San Diego. There are far too many experiences to list, but they included meeting world leaders such as Salazar of Portugal, Rahman of Malaysia, and Chiang Kai-shek of Taiwan, and seeing Wonders of the World. Neal came home with a new independence and a lasting sense of adventure.
Recruited by several professors he met on the voyage, he went on to Whittier College, where he earned his B.A. and was a starter on the golf team. He then spent a year in law school, long enough to learn the basics and to know he did not want to be a lawyer. After a year at a local radio station in Chicago and an offer to become the newscaster for a new cable TV station in Bakersfield, California, he decided it was time to go into the family business. Wanting to make his own mark, Neal became a pioneer in the flexible packaging segment, building a new division. Eventually, the family members' differing goals made it clear that selling was the best course, and not long after, he left to help build a small company owned by a friend.
In 1973 Neal married a TWA flight attendant, which gave them the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world before starting a family. Their two sons were born in 1978 and 1981. Neal was a very active father, and he still considers fatherhood one of the greatest joys of his life. The marriage ended amicably after 23 years.
In 1984 Neal founded Chukerman Packaging, which worked as a broker designing and supplying packaging for numerous products that many people have bought. When the trivia game craze arrived in the late 1980s, he was asked to design and produce a board game. Over the next few years, Chukerman Packaging became the largest contract manufacturer of board games in the United States, producing hundreds of well-known titles. The company handled everything: structural and component design, turnkey production, and logistics from the warehouse to the retail trade. In 2003, Chinese manufacturers entered the industry, and domestic production could not compete. Although many customers asked him to set up production in China, he decided not to take that path. He semi-retired in 2004 and retired completely in 2008. With both sons in Los Angeles pursuing careers in the entertainment industry, Neal moved there for a change of life.
It wasn't long before a friend from Chicago called and asked Neal to represent his company, introducing new equipment that modifies the atmosphere to extend the shelf life of fresh food. Neal enjoyed being near his sons, playing golf, and working part-time. Several long weekend visits to his sister in San Diego convinced him to build a house and move there, where he spent the last 10 years. Then four summers in Greenwich, Darien, and Westport, visiting his younger son and two grandchildren and meeting a wonderful woman, convinced him to move to Westport this past June. He has joined the Y's Men and looks forward to making new friends and enjoying its events.
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