TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Lloyd G. McNeill, Jr. 1935–2021 Jazz Flautist, Artist, Professor, U.S. Navy
By Aaron Williams
In 1972, McNeill received a U.S. Department of State artists' grant to travel and research numerous West Afri- can nations. During his travels, he was invited to exhibit his paintings, read his poetry, speak to university students, and perform with local musicians in those countries. McNeill taught at several colleges and universities, including Spelman College [1965-66], where he was the college's first Artist-In-Residence. In 1970, McNeill began a three-plus-de- cade teaching association with Rutgers University and moved to New York City. He was instrumental in launching the school's Jazz Studies Program. In addi- tion to art, McNeill also taught Afro- American Music History and private flute lessons. He was a guest lecturer at New York University and Skowhegan Summer School of Art. After retiring in 2003 from Rutgers, He was named Professor Emeritus of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rut- gers University. Over the years at several galleries and colleges around the country have featured his paintings and drawings. For nearly a quarter-century, McNeill collaborated with a master silkscreen printmaker to produce a large volume of prints of political, educational, arts- related, and cultural significance, and more, many of which are now collected artworks. He published two volumes of poems: Blackline: A Collection of Poems, Drawings and Photographs, and After the Rain: A Collection of New Po-
ems. In 2007, the U.S. Postage Service selected McNeill to design a postage stamp for the celebration of Kwanzaa 2009. McNeill was featured in the 2021 commemorative centennial book en- titled The Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc: A Morehouse Story at 100 Years. Brother Lloyd McNeill is survived by his wife, Svetlana Davidovich-McNeill, sisters Glenda McNeill and Melba Mc- Neill, brother Albert McNeill, friends, fellow artists and musicians, and fans.
R enowned musician, artist, author, and collegiate professor Lloyd G. McNeill, Jr. (Pi 1960) entered the Chapter Invisible on November 5, 2021, after years of combating Alzheim- er's disease. Born in Washington, DC, on April 12, 1935, McNeill graduated from D.C.'s famed Dunbar High School. He served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy before attending historic Morehouse College, where he graduated in 1961 with a B.A. degree in art. After college, McNeill met James Porter, Chairman of the Art Department at Howard University, during his senior year exhibit. Porter subsequently offered Mc- Neill a full-tuition scholarship to become Howard's first student to pursue a master of fine arts degree. McNeill has extensively traveled the world during his career, including studying art at L'Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris and spent considerable time with Pablo Picasso. Besides his art, McNeill studied music composition and played flute with numerous jazz musicians. He appeared as a congo drummer with singer Nina Simone and in various ensembles as a flutist; in 1968, he formed the Lloyd McNeill Band. In 1970 as the Lloyd McNeill Quartet, he composed the album "Washington Suite."
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