Neal B. "Whitey" Wilson was born in Huntington. He graduated from Huntington High School in 1927, attended what was then Marshall College for two years and graduated from West Virginia University. He practiced law in private practice, specializing in contracting, real estate, timber, and the oil and gas development businesses. He was a member of the Huntington Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow.
Wilson's service to Huntington was through his legal profession and his association with Marshall University. There, he was the golf coach for nine years and installed the team with Guyan Golf & Country Club, where they received first-hand teaching from Arnold "Brownie" Browning.
Wilson was the athletic business manager and athletic director from 1951-67. During his tenure, Marshall's golf program enjoyed some of its best golf teams, and the basketball team went to the NIT in 1967. While at Marshall University, the name "Big Green'' was adopted for all athletic teams and the baseball stadium was moved to St. Cloud Commons. Wilson was president of the Marshall College Alumni Association, secretary/treasurer of the Big Green Club and established the Whitey Wilson Trust to fund athletic scholarships and to ensure the continuance of the Marshall University Hall of Fame.
