Notes for: William Edward Neely

As a young man, he distinguished himself as an amateur boxer, both in high school in Weston and at WVU. After graduation from WVU in 1934, he was an educational advisor for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), where he served in Pocahontas and Preston counties. Later, he entered the WVU College of Law, graduating in 1950. He then practiced law briefly in Clarksburg at Stathers, Stathers & Cantrell. In January 1942, in the wake of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy for World War II. He was commissioned as an officer in 1943 and served in the Navy's Armed Guard at sea until the conclusion of the war in 1945. He became a career naval officer at that time. Until his retirement in 1973, he served in many duty stations, including American Samoa, Japan, Washington, Seattle, Memphis, Norfolk and Charlottesville. He retired as a Captain, Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG), and then spent the next few years traveling the globe.