From Grand Rapids to Pebble Beach & Monterey.
Neal was born and raised near Grand Rapids, Michigan where he developed a keen interest in history and community involvement. There he graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in Business Administration. Most of his children and grandchildren still live in Michigan.
Neal and his wife Bettina relocated to the Monterey Peninsula in 1985 and have been perpetual tourists ever since—always learning new things about the area.
Neal has been with Pebble Beach Company since 1991. Beginning as Golf Operations Manager, he is currently Director of Licensing and Special Projects; in addition to directing third-party use of company trademarks, he is Executive Editor of Pebble Beach–The Magazine, and manages the company’s historical archive. This latter role affords him the title of Pebble Beach Company Historian.
On his own, Neal has amassed a wonderful personal collection of books and other ephemera related to local history – especially Pebble Beach and John Steinbeck. He has met and interviewed many individuals in search of an understanding of the area’s past.
In addition to his books, Neal has published several articles and is a sought after speaker and guide. He has been interviewed on local history by CBS, CNN, The Golf Channel, the History Channel, the UK’s SkySports and others. He also edited a series of “Bedside Readers” for Pebble Beach Resorts featuring writers of the Monterey Peninsula, wrote the copy for a U.S. Open Viewers Guide on Pebble Beach Golf Links that was distributed by Titleist in 2000, and wrote and directed a video tribute on Samuel F.B. Morse, the visionary founder and head of Pebble Beach Company for its first 50 years.
Neal donates much of his time to organizations in the community, and is a past President of the Monterey Heritage Society, Monterey County Mensa, and the Cannery Row Foundation. Neal was awarded as 2005 Preservationist of the Year by the Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists for his significant role in preventing the demolition of the former Hotel Del Monte in Monterey.