Family News

Cody Allison, left and Brittanie Gooch Allison

Kelly Neal Gooch passed this along about her children: Brittanie Gooch and Cody Allison married April 7, and Brittanie now is 10 weeks pregnant. Justin Gooch and Paige Green will marry Aug. 26. Both children just purchased new homes. Congratulations to all you guys.

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Tracy Eckard finished OCS last year, and she now is a lieutenant in the Air Force. She and her daughter, Eva, moved to the D.C. area, and she works at Fort Belvoir.

 

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Shane Neal during his promotion ceremony

Shane Neal recently earned the rank of E8 Senior Chief in Navy.

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Eric Doerr just joined the Marines a few months back.


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Tas Sipowski

Tas Sipowski just finished up his golf season at Marshall University. Averaged 77.14 (4th best on team) with a low round of 71 at the FAU Spring Break Classic... Scored a hole-in-one during the first round of the 2012 C-USA Championships... Shot a low round of 71 at the FAU Spring Break Classic.





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Steve Hesson joined the Matchbox family in the D.C. area and runs the Rockville, Md., location. Here is he talking about Mother's Day and the restaurant's Readers' Choice award.

http://rockville.patch.com/articles/readers-choice-winner-matchbox

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Mark Neal and Ty Neal continue to expand their restaurant empire. New Matchbox, DC-3 and Ted's Bulletin locations are coming together as we speak. Also, Ty was quoted in a recent story about food trends for 2012.

http://www.jbg.com/news?NewsID=216

http://m.rmgtmagazine.com/food-beverage/recipes-success

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I found this about Gregg Neal and his preeminent rating as an attorney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be3iqh8Kboghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be3iqh8Kbog

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 Jeff Neal talks to Go magazine about life out of the country.


http://www.airtranmagazine.com/features/2012/02/from-holiday-to-home-base
 


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And I continue to write. I write about golf on this website, and if anyone can help me out and subscribe. The more subscribers, the more comments, the more hits - all that helps my readership, exposure and chances to sell more stories to magazines. Please.


http://www.examiner.com/golf-in-raleigh/j-eric-eckard

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I think that's all for now. Please, if anyone has anything they'd like to brag about, send me an email. Remember, it's not bragging if it's fact.

The family

Golf Reunion

First, I'm trying to put together a golf-only trip for some of the family who might want a little mini-reunion. I've sent out emails to most of the golfers in the family, but if I missed anyone, it's OK. You're definitely welcome. The trip would start at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and end at Pinehurst. A few of the early comments indicate I might have added too many courses in between, so in the end it will pared down. Email me if you have questions or are interested in joining us.

Family Tree

Next, I joined ancestry.com for a free trial just to mess around and see if I could add to our tree. I did come up with interesting items. Basically, I found family trees on the site with documents to back up their research. I tied in our side of the family with trees already in place. I'm not in a position to join because I'm not going to have the time to devote to it right now, so it would be a waste. What I can do with the free trial is build a tree and download it - without any documentation. But I'll have the names when I go back and research for documentation. Anyway, if you remember the information Gary passed out at the reunion, it takes us back to the late 1700s. I found a few discrepancies, and I traced the Neal name back even further. Here are some highlights (I'm putting this is relation to me to make it easier):

• My great-great-great-great grandfather, William Neal, married his uncle's granddaughter Emilia Mildred Neal, (second cousin).
• My 8th great grandfather arrived in the New World in 1635. Capt. James Neal was an agent of Lord Baltimore, governor of Maryland, who granted him land to build Wallaston Manor in Charles County, Md.
• In 1100, a man named Nigel Eley in England fathered a son with his mistress, Ramsbury Neil. In those days, the son of an unmarried couple often took the mother's name and added a Fitz to the beginning. Their son was Richard FitzNeale, who died in 1198 - my 22nd great grandfather. He later became the king's treasurer under Henry II.
• Ramsbury Neil's father was Henry I, King of England. She apparently was one of many illegitimate children he had. So that makes King Henry my 24th great grandfather, which would make his father - William the Conquerer - my 25th great grandfather.
• Branching out from one of the women who married into the Neal clan, the tree takes us back to Goaspatric Northumberland, my 26th great grandfather, who led an uprising against William the Conquerer. He was defeated and sent into exile.
• Also branching out from one of the women who married into the Neal clan, the tree also takes us back to Malcolm II, King of Scotland, who died in 1034. He was my 29th great grandfather.
• Another branch takes us to Edgar the Peaceful; his father, Edmund the Magnificent; his father, Edward the Elder; and his father, Alfred the Great, all kings of England before 1000. These are my 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd great grandfathers, respectively.
• Aiden the Treacherous, King of Scotland (532-606), was my 42nd great grandfather. 

With the trial membership, I don't have access to all documents, but I have been able to see some of them. The research has been done before me so I have little reason to doubt any of this, but I can't back it up with anything right now. But it is fun to look at.

Like I said, I'm downloading a tree with names if anyone is interested. If anyone is doing some research, this could help. And if you are, let me know.

Hope all is well. I'm looking for news. I know there's some out there. I've got a few stories I want to post in the near future, including some relocations, some school news and some recent trips.

Mountain climber

I know some people have been asking about this so I decided to post some pictures of Gary's recent adventures on top of some mountains.

He says he's having fun making it to the summits of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert, both in Colorado; Mount Whitney in California; and Mount Rainier in Washington. And he's still hiking the Appalachian Trail in sections.

But all of that has been just a prelude to his next climb. He and Julie are heading to Africa next week, and while Julie is on safari with her Dad, Gary will be climbing Kilimanjaro. More pictures to come.

Oh, and while they're in Africa, I'll be in Europe on a three-country tour of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. I'll try to go to the Asia side of Istanbul so I can say I've been in three continents. I'll post pictures after that, as well.

So, if anyone has any big trips or big news - or even little trips or little news - send me a note. It's fun to keep up with everything.

2011 Bill Neal Art Award

Photographer Michelle Tricca was awarded the first Bill Neal award for public art. This story and video show that Bill's memory will live on, and he'll continue to touch the lives of not only his friends and family, but many people he never even met.

Bill Neal Art Award on Youtube

Naples news story about the award

Hi guys

I wanted to let everyone know that Tracy graduated from the U.S. Air Force Office Training School last month. She now is a lieutenant, but she said you don't have to salute her or call her sir. Ma'am would work, though.

Also, here is a post from Facebook about a program that helps troops repay college loans.

The Leave No Veteran Behind organization was featured again in the media where a donor (Wal-Mart!) paid the educational debt of a servicemember (see video link). While I was away at OTS, I was chosen and enrolled in their program! Here's the link to my bio on their website: http://www.leavenoveteranbehind.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=150&Itemid=60

Also, if anyone has any news, please let me know.

Vote now

OK, I know it's been awhile since I posted anything. And I know lots of great stuff has been happening with all of us lately. That makes me slack. I would say that I'll try to do better, but unless I follow through, that's just big talk.

I received an email this morning, and I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to help out.

Hello,

Few honors hold the same esteem as the respected RAMMY awards for the DC metropolitan area restaurant industry. What started in 2004 with a few celebrated categories has grown to be one of the industry’s annual highlights, with 15 award categories-- 4 of which will be chosen by the public.

From Thursday, April 28 through May 11, 2011, the public will decide the following awards: Best Neighborhood Gathering Place, Voter’s Favorite Restaurant, Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene and Power Spot of the Year.

Ted’s BULLETIN is honored to have received a nomination for Best Neighborhood Gathering Place and is truly doubly excited for this opportunity to bring a RAMMY home to the Hill!

The public can go online at www.ramw.org or simply pick up a Washington City Paper to cast their vote.

Thanks so much for your support!

I voted. It only takes a minute.

Anyone with big news, let me know.

Sad news

I wanted to get some good news up about golfing in Florida, visiting Disney World and other family news.

But tonight, I have some sad news to report.

Connie's son, Keith, died last week. Living up to its name as the "silent killer," pancreatic cancer took him at 38. There was no indication that he was even sick until a couple of days before he died.

Mom and I went to the service in Lafayette, Ind. It was a mixture of sadness, fond memories and a little humor sprinkled in. One of Keith's friends read a poem; a couple of Connie's friends spoke; and Connie talked about her boy with the big heart.

But what teared me up the most was when she talked about coming home the day Keith died. They were locking up the house, turning off all the lights and getting ready to go upstairs for bed when Neal went behind her and turned on all the outside lights.

"What are you doing?" Connie asked.

"I want to make sure Keith can find his way home," Neal said.

If you have their e-mail, phone number or address, they could probably use a little comfort. Or leave a message here for them. And maybe a prayer or two would be good. I know I've been praying for God to ease their pain.

Here are a couple of links to the obituary - one in the Chattanooga paper where Keith grew up and the other in the Lafayette paper.

Award winner

Hi guys,

Jeff's golf resort was honored recently. Check it out. Good job.

http://www.iagto.com/Public/Awards/2011/PR7.aspx

New news

Just to let everyone know, Patsy is doing well. She's back in Lafayette staying by herself. And she says she's feeling better every day. She sounds a lot better on the phone than she did pre-heart attack. Give her a call or e-mail.

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Julie just returned from Italy. She had a great time. Took a gondola ride in Venice, a cruise to Greece and Turkey and brought back Gary some Beatles memorabilia. Gary left two days after she returned to hike the Pinhoti Train in Alabama - and of course, see four football games.

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According to Facebook, Shane is back from his overseas tour - back home with his family. Welcome home.

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Kelly debuted her new website recently.

http://www.kellygoochphotography.com/

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I had a couple of recent stories published.

http://jericeckard.net/clips.html

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Hailey is doing well in her senior season at Liberty.

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10854&teamID=8

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&newsID=6012&TeamID=

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&NewsID=6063

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And so is Hilary at Samford.

http://media.www.samfordcrimson.com/media/storage/paper1166/news/2010/11/05/Sports/Womens.Cross.Country.Repeats.As.Socon.Champions-3955238.shtml

http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/c-xc/spec-rel/110210aaa.html

They both helped their respective teams to first-place finishes in conference tournaments. The NCAA tournament starts this weekend for both schools. Good luck, ladies.

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The restaurant empire continues to grow. Good job, Mark and Ty.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090305368.html

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Maax continues to make funny videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MaaXwith2As

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Well, that should do for now. I have a few more tidbits, but I'll post them later when I get more information.

If anyone has news, please pass it along.

Shane's video

Shirley sent me a link to the news story on CBS Atlanta.

Check it out. It's great.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks_video_id=4332550

Good news and bad news

First, the bad news.

Jo's sister, Ann, lost her husband. Here is Ed's obituary:

http://www.tributes.com/show/Edwin-Wade-89231810

I think some people remember him. I didn't, but I've been saying a few prayers for Ann and her family.

And the good news:

CBS Atlanta did a story about our sailor hero, Shane.

Here's the link:

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/24930591/detail.html

There was supposed to be video, but I was unable to find it. If anyone can, message me and let me know and I'll add a link.

Congratulations, Shane.

A hero amongst us

Hero is sometimes an overused word. Often, we use it to describe movie stars, TV personalities, sports figures or celebrities of some sort.

Instead, we should limit the use of hero to teachers, law enforcement officers, parents, troops or anyone who's actually made a positive influence in your life. And then there are heroes in the true sense of the word.

One definition is someone who is "distinguished by exceptional courage."

Here's a story that epitomizes that description.

Shane Neal serves aboard the USS Louisville, a Los Angeles class attack submarine. During a recent visit to Okinawa, a tropical storm hit the region as the boat was leaving port.

"A sailor was about to be dragged and held underwater by some very heavy cables," the USS Louisville's commanding officer wrote in a letter to Shirley. "Your son quickly recognized this dire situation and cut the sailor's safety harness with his diving knife that enabled the sailor to escape without injury.

"About 30 seconds later, a large wave hit the ship and washed another sailor overboard such that he was between the ship and the pier. The sailor did not have any protective equipment on and was about to be thrown into some metal beams under the pier where he would have undoubtedly suffered a lethal blow to the head.

"Your son immediately dove into the water and pulled the sailor to safety moments before another wave came."

Shane was injured, and he could have gone below deck. But he stayed at his post until the boat was safely under way.

I don't think there's much to add, except that the Louisville's commanding officer is right. Shane is a "true hero."

I think I can speak for the family here when I say that we're all proud of you, Shane.

I'm attaching a copy of the letter so everyone can read it.

Good news; bad news

The bad news is that Patsy had a heart attack. The good news is that there was no damage to her heart, and she's expected to make a full recovery.

This all started a few days ago when she checked herself into the hospital because of chest pains. She had been feeling tired a lot lately, but I don't think anyone had any idea it was because two of her heart valves were 99 percent blocked.

After tests in the hospital Sunday and Monday, they figured out that she had suffered a "silent heart attack." So on Tuesday, doctors performed a catheterization and inserted two stents. She was groggy all day Tuesday, but she was feeling a lot better today.

I just got off the phone with Gary who came down to stay with her during the procedure. They just left the hospital, and they're headed to her house to pick up a few things before heading to Lindenhurst. Patsy is going to stay with Gary and Julie for a few weeks, and she's going to receive some outpatient therapy while she's up there.

I think everything is going to be fine. She knows she needs to change her lifestyle some, especially diet and exercise. I think that because she's never had heart problems in the past, those things didn't seem as imminent as they do now. She promised to follow doctors' orders.

So give her a call or send a note or email. Or leave a message here, and I'll make sure she sees it. Plus, say a little prayer for her.

I'm back

OK, sorry it's been so long since I've done this, but I'm back. I've got some news about me, the mini-reunion this year and a few items about some of us to share.

First, there will be no golf outing at Pinehurst this year. It just won't work out for everyone, so we're postponing it until next year.

Secondly, I'm expecting to make my professional caddie debut next month at the Wyndham Open qualifier. Then, Bryan will be heading to Q School in an attempt to make it on the PGA Tour - or at leastthe Nationwide Tour. I'll be on the bag. Wish us luck.

I know word has been spread about this, but it's worth mentioning again.

Tas is headed to Marshall in a few months to play golf for the Thundering Herd.I think he officially joins the team on Tuesday.

Kam competed in 11 events last month at the Speedo International Age Group Invitational, and he had six Top 10 finishes, including third in both the 200-meter breast and 50-meter breast. He set a Jupiter Dragons swim team record in the 50-meter breast with 32:38 time.

Earlier this month, Kam also competed in five events at the SZ Sectionals and ended with two Top 10 finishes and swim team records in both the 100-meter breast and 200-meter breast.

Shayne also competed at the Speedo International Age Group Invitational, finishing in the Top 25 in five of seven events. Her best was 17th in the 50-meter freestyle.

It looks like Ty and Mark will be expanding their restaurant empire again. Apparently, a new Matchbox will be opening in 2012 in D.C.'s Mosaic District. And in golf news, Ty made a hole-in-one Saturday - 21 years since he made his first ace in 1989.

Maax is apparently a budding film maker. Here are a few of his samplings on Youtube.

That's all I have right now. Please email me with any corrections or updates.

Pinehurst golf outing

In case I haven't been able to get a hold of everyone, I've been looking into a possible golf outing at Pinehurst later this summer for the golfers in the family. Of course, the invitations aren't limited to just golfers. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome. There are other things to do at the resort.

I've reached out to some of the golfers already, and I've got a line on a package deal for a small group. Maybe eight golfers to make up a couple of foursomes.

The Pinehurst Summer Tee seems to be best deal for what I've got in mind. I've tried to do a hyper link, but it won't work for some reason. Anyway, here is the address and an outline of the package.

http://www.pinehurst.com/golf-vacation-packages.php

* Three nights accommodations

* Dinner, beginning on day of arrival

*Breakfast, through day of departure

*1 round of golf per day - four rounds (upgrade to No. 2 for an additional $175)

* Cart, club storage and sleeve of Titleist golf balls

* Afternoon tea, biking, outdoor pools & Beach Club, and fitness center

* Children 12 and under stay and eat free with paying adult. Children 17 and under play golf for free with paying adult, except Pinehurst No. 2-$215 junior fee applies.

Pricing: The Manor is the least expensive at $860 per person based on double occupancy.If you delete dinner from this package, the price drops to $750.

Prices go up from there:

Holly

$996

Carolina

$1,052

Villa

$1,136

Now, here's the hard part. Just about all the golfers have shown an interest in doing this. But as always, schedules are the issue.

So, here is a list of date ranges. The Summer Tee package ends Sept. 7. From what people have said, No. 2 is a must, so these dates include an option to play No. 2.

July 24-27
Aug. 2-5
Aug. 5-8
Aug. 26-29

These dates can be tweaked so if anyone has any ideas or other options, please let me know.

My vision is to have some type of Ryder Cup-type format with prizes and a trophy. I'll be a little more organized than I was at the golf outing in Florida.

Hope this works, and let me know if anyone has any questions.

Baby Ted

This morning, Alaina and Ty welcomed Baby Ted into the world. 7 lbs., 8 oz.

The text I got was:

"all good in this 'hood!"

I asked for pictures, so as soon as I get some, I'll post them.

Congratulations to Alaina and Ty, and welcome to the world, Ted Neal.

This just in

I got this email from Ty:

Here's a link for some new Ted's Bulletin news. We are opening next week. Busy times...and a lot of fun!!

http://www.thrillist.com/barracks-row/teds-bulletin

Also attached is a "Friends and Family" invite....use anytime!!

more news

Hillary placed second in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:32.20, earning All-SoCon honors.

http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/c-track/recaps/042510aaa.html

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Hailey's 4 x 800 relay team broke 9-minute mark at Penn Relays.

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&newsID=5392&TeamID=3

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I know this is late, but Alex was named Academic All-Ohio Second Team a few months ago. I believe she graduates this year, and she recently played in the Senior All-Star game at Capital University.

http://athletics.wilmington.edu/womens-soccer/news.cfm?news_id=10833&archive=no

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Latest family news

Hailey finished in the Top 10 last night in the 3000m steeplechase at the Penn Relays

http://pennrelaysonline.com/Results/results.aspx?en=75.

Nice.

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Hillary is competing in the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championship this weekend in Boone.

http://media.www.samfordcrimson.com/media/storage/paper1166/news/2010/04/21/Sports/Track.Ready.For.Championship-3910108.shtml

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Ted's Bulletin should be open soon, if it hasn't already. Good job, Mark and Ty.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgurus/2010/02/teds_bulletin_read_all_about_i.html

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I've writing about golf for examiner.com. Here's the link. If you could subscribe, it would help me. Also, leaving comments for each story also helps. Please and thank you.

http://www.examiner.com/x-41107-Raleigh-Golf-Examiner

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A few other notes of worth. Tracy is back from Indonesia, but now she's in Mississippi working toward a promotion in the Air Force.

I also just got word that Tas will be attending Marshall University this fall, playing golf for the Herd.

I know there's more, and I'll try to dig some stuff up later. If you know of anything, let me know.

golf get-together

I've called a few people to see if there was any interest in having a golf-only family get-together this year. The consensus is yes, there is an interest for many depending on location and time of year.

Some have job constraints and other obligations that might prevent you from coming. But don't worry, there will be others.

I didn't call everyone, so this is serving as an invitation for anyone who wants to meet somewhere later this year for a golf outing. If you don't play golf, but you still want to hang out with us, please consider coming. There will be plenty of golf, but we have to sit down and eat sometime.

Anyway, some of the locations mentioned so far have been Pinehurst, Bay Hill, Kiawah Island, Greenbrier, Reynolds Plantation and Sea Island Resort. Months that have been mentioned so far are June, August and September.

Let me know if anyone has any ideas or opinions, and I'll be contacting individuals later on to get more feedback.