Remembering Tommy Neal.

• Position: Brief Article - Obituary

Once in a great while someone passes through an organization who truly is unique--someone who makes an impact on everyone around him. Tommy Neal was one of those people. He was charming, stubborn, smart, funny, irreverent, dependable, unpredictable and authentic. He was our good friend. Tommy died on May 27, 1999. He was 77 years old.

Tommy worked 10 years at NCSL before he retired in 1998. He was our expert on campaign finance reform, ethics legislation and lobbyists. Tommy staffed the Legal Services Staff Section, and he was a talented and prolific writer. His book, Lawmaking and the Legislative Process, became a standard text for many high school and college civics courses. Tommy also was keen on customer service. When people asked Tommy for information, they got it--fast and sure. Tommy became a reliable and important link in the network of experts and NCSL clients interested in the issues he managed.

Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in Alabama, Tommy's life was an adventure that Walter Mitty would have envied. He graduated from Baylor University and earned a master's degree in history from Northwestern University. Tommy taught high school, worked as a sports writer, owned a newspaper, served in the Colorado legislature...