Neal Prensour

Neal Prensour—2008

Neal Prensour

Avenida Seudónimo

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

23450

thenealdeal63@yahoo.com

During high school my hobby was beekeeping. I continued this profession, going in business with my uncle in Climax, N.C. But two years into it, I was stung by 256 bees, and nearly died. I was told I needed to find a new line of work. I enrolled at the University of Arizona, and I joined the R.O.T.C. to help pay for my college tuition. Of course, I was called up to Vietnam, where I wasted the best years of my life in an unpopular war and came out strung up on drugs. I eventually found myself in Los Angeles, and while waiting tables in a restaurant, I chatted with a writer about my past experiences. The beekeeping story ended up being part of the plot of a pilot episode of a show called "Earl Hammer, Keeper of the Bees" but the show was canceled after only three episodes. It also earned me a bit part in an adult film called "The Stinger" but that's really neither here nor there.

Around this time I met the love of my life, William Cassidy. With Bill's love and care I was able to get the monkey off my back and have been drug free for over 30 years.

In 1993, Bill and I were traveling in South America, and on a whim we purchased a lottery ticket in Ecuador. The gods were looking out for us and we won quite a bit of money! We put the money in an off shore account and continued our travels. It was somewhere in the rainforest of Brazil when Bill and was bit by a venomous snake. We were too far away from medical help and Bill passed in the jungle. I had him cremated there and brought his ashes back home with me in a coconut I hollowed out myself.

I used some of the remaining lottery winnings to invest in the original concept of Post-It notes. I was the person who originally suggested to Art Fry, a longtime friend from my Vietnam tour, that it would be great if you could stick a note to another piece of paper without tape. Fry took the idea and ran with it, and I did well putting that money behind the investment. I've since spent some time on Wall Street at various firms. Who knew I'd go from beekeeper to stock analyst?

I spent the next few years traveling the world and eventually purchased homes in Mexico and the South of France. I live a quiet life now and I miss Bill a lot and I hope to attend the reunion and renew old friendships.

Jul 30, 2008

Seneca High School—Class of '63                     http://www.senecaclassof63.com