Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist

Subject: Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 23 Apr 05 - 08:45 PM

Known variously as William K McNeil, W K McNeil, Bill McNeil or just plain Dr. Bill, our good friend and historian left us on Wednesday morning, April 20, 2005. His influence in music research can be found just about everywhere in the Old Time field, especially the music of the Ozarks, but his knowledge of just about anything you wanted to talk about was legendary. I will probably have more to say later, but for now, here is the obituary from yesterday morning's Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

William Kinneth McNeil : Folklore historian, research go-to guy

BY HILLARY WOODWORTH
Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005

William Kinneth McNeil was known as a walking encyclopedia to friends and colleagues who worked with him at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View. "He was the go-to guy on research," colleague Rachel Reynolds said.

He had worked at the Ozark Folk Center since 1976 where he was the folklife director and helped head the archive department in the library. He wrote numerous books and had just finished editing the Encyclopedia of Gospel Music to be published at the end of the year. Before joining the Ozark Folk Center, McNeil worked for the Smithsonian Institution as a folkloristadministrator.

McNeil died Wednesday morning of congestive heart failure at his home in Mountain View. He was 64.

McNeil was born near Canton, N. C., on Aug. 13, 1940. He graduated from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee with a bachelor of arts degree in history in 1962. He received a master's degree in history from Oklahoma State University in 1963 and a master of arts degree in Museology and American Folk Culture in 1967 from Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University of New York. He received a Ph. D. in folklore and American studies from Indiana University in 1980.

Friend and co-worker, Elliott Hancock said McNeil "was an exceptional scholar who had a wealth of information at his fingertips. People all over the country would call him for information."

His passion was folklore, and he had a knack for interviewing people who were leery of reporters' microphones and cameras. "One of the rare abilities he had as an interviewer, was his genuine love of the culture of the people he worked with. He developed a sense of trust," Hancock said.

A friend for 30 years, Kay Thomas, said she once asked McNeil if he ever needed to study in school. McNeil told her no, he could read something once and just know it from then on. "Two things were always there, the huge amount of information and knowledge that he had and his willingness to share that information," Thomas said. "He had a really great sense of humor, he was a master at puns," she said.

McNeil's scholarly reputation did a great deal for the cultural resource center. "Because of Bill's efforts, the Ozark Folk Center has received a number of gifts and contributions over the years," Hancock said.

McNeil married and had no children. He later divorced and lived alone in Mountain View with his two dogs. He became known as quite a collector. "He had a library second to none. He collected books, music, materials, not because he had to but because he loved it," Hancock said.

Reynolds said McNeil was her mentor at the folk center. "He was a big influence on me before I even knew it. My mother would take me to watch her perform at the folk center when I was a child. I knew him as the guy who would stand off to the side, and he would know every note and where it originated from. He was like a computer. Occasionally, he was even my square-dancing partner," Reynolds said.

Later as a folklore student at the University of Arkansas, Reynolds came to know McNeil's work and his legacy. "He's one of those folks that almost seemed permanent. He was always going strong. He will be a real loss. He shared a lot of knowledge, but he took a lot with him too," Reynolds said. "We're all going to miss him."

And here is a message from Elliott Hancock, Assistant Manager of The Ozark Folk Center.

The memorial service for Bill McNeil will be held at the Folk Center at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Bill had been Folklorist at the Center since 1976. Bill was a thorough researcher, a prolific writer, and producer of highly praised recordings.   He reviewed books and recordings for numerous publications and served on countless advisory boards.   He wrote more than 20 books, edited major folklore publications, and contributed countless articles to a variety of publications and was often invited to write forwards to the books of other scholars He was nominated for a Grammy for "The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Blues" issued in 1993.   Bill had just finished his editorial work on The Encyclopedia of Gospel Music which will be published in November by Routledge Press.   .   Under Bill's direction the Archive at the Center has developed into one of the largest, if not the largest, collections of Ozark related material in the nation.

Bill was not interested in self promotion so most of his accomplishments have gone unnoticed except by those in the folklorist fraternity.   Nevertheless, his contributions to the study of folklore and the state of Arkansas have been immense.   We have lost a dear and loyal friend and one who brought prestige to our park and to the Arkansas State Park System.

His family has requested that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the Ozark Cultural Resource Center at the Folk Center or to the Mountain View Humane Society.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 02:51 AM

Thanks for introducing us to Dr. McNiel, Dale and Elliott. I'll treasure my autographed copy of Southern Folk Ballads. His Southern Mountain Folksongs is another good collection.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 24 Apr 05 - 09:54 AM

Sorry to hear of Dr. Bill's passing. Thanks for posting the thread.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist
From: Arkie
Date: 26 Apr 05 - 11:35 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Obit: Dr. Bill McNeil, folklorist
From: open mike
Date: 27 Apr 05 - 12:00 AM

ahhhh--64, too young.
i hope his doggies get good care.
Sounds like a wonderful resource
and glad he shared so much knowledge
over the years.

Subject: Obit: Death of Dr. W.K McNeil (/Bill McNeil
From: GUEST,Deb Mullins-Carbone
Date: 02 May 05 - 11:33 AM

For all of you out there that did not know . Dr. McNeil of the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View has passed on. He was an amazing resource, a brilliant writer and my friend of twenty years.. We will all miss him terribly. For those of you that did not know him, he has a huge online bibliography and I am sorry you did not know him. You missed out on one of the great minds of our time.