Neil has always loved fire trucks. As a six-year-old boy he lived about three blocks from where the fire truck was kept. It was kept in the basement area of Mr. Lee Smith's Service Station. The station was located at the North end of the Mall, in the triangle area where the flagpole is located today.

   When the fire whistle sounded, Neil would get on his bicycle and chase the fire truck as far as he could go; usually he would take short cuts and beat the truck to the fire.

   The at the age of nine, his family moved from Emory Ave. to Martin Ave. Mr. Morrell Thomas, a volunteer fireman, lived nearby. He told Neil when the whistle blew at night; if he could get to Morrell's house before he left, Neil could  go to the fire with him. Neil would run and be at the door ready to go when Morrell came out of his house.

   Neil attended Boaz Grade Schools and graduated from Boaz High School in 1961. While in High School he worked part time for Roberts and Weathers Furniture and Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store. He attended Alverson Draughn Business College in Birmingham, where he received a degree in Traffic management in 1963. After completing Alverson Draughn he came back to Boaz and attended Snead State Junior College, and became a volunteer fireman at this time.

   Mayor Frank Amberson and Acting Fire Chief Roy Eubanks hired him as a full-time fireman on October 5th 1963. Neil was the fourth and the youngest full time fireman hired in Boaz at that time. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1964.

   He continued to work full-time until he went to work at Republic Steel in Gadsden in May of 1966. He stayed on the fire department serving as a volunteer fireman and returned full time in April 1985 until November of 1986.

   Neil has participated in and completed numerous classes both on the state and federal level such as Basic Firefighting, Firefighter I, Pumps and Hydraulics, Fire Investigation, Fire and Arson Detection, Fire Officers Training,  Haz-Mat Incident Analysis,

   He has worked with members of the Walnut Grove Fire Department to aid in organization and instructing member in basic fire fighting.

   Neil has also assisted Dave Thomas, Retired District Chief from the Montgomery Fire Department and  instructor at the Alabama State Fire College and Lonnie Webb, Retired Chief from Scottsboro Fire Department with teaching basic firefighting classes at the Alabama State Fire College.

   He worked full time at the Boaz Fire Department, during the 60's 70's and 80's and is still serving as a Paid-On-Call fireman.

   The Community Civitan Club named Neil the first "Fireman of the Year" in 1976. He received this award again in 1983, making him the first person to receive this award twice.

   Neil also served in the Alabama National Guard from December 1965 to 1977. He was with Company C, 279th Signal Battalion in Boaz. He did his Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Supply School training at Fort Polk. Louisiana. During his time served he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

   Neil was a member of the Boaz Lions Club until it disbanded. He served as President 1978-1979 and again in 1990-1991. He was awarded "lion of the Year", 1990-1991.

   Neil and his family attend First Baptist Church in Boaz. He married Donetta Horton on September 29th 1968. She is employed at Marshall-Dekalb Electric Cooperative as a service Dept. Clerk/Dispatcher. They have one daughter, Nancy Marlee Hitt, Born October 23, 1979. She recently married Joey Ray Minshew, October 27, 2007