This building is named in honour of Captain Proctor Clifford Neil, MC.
Proctor Clifford Neil was born in August 1914 at Cobalt ON. As a young boy, his family moved to North Bay where he completed his schooling. A gifted pupil, he also excelled in athletics. He joined the military soon after the declaration of the Second World War and was assigned to the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME). He holds the distinction of being a member of the first RCEME crew to land in Normandy on D-Day. He would go on and serve throughout the North-West European campaign where his courage under fire became commonplace. During a particularly difficult advance through muddy fields, Capt Neil and his crew recovered 51 tanks that had become mired in a heavily mined area subjected to enemy artillery, machinegun and sniper fire. For his leadership demonstrated during this perilous instance and his courageous actions throughout the campaign, he was awarded the Military Cross in February 1945.
After the war, he returned to school and obtained a degree in metallurgical engineering from McGill University in Montreal. He relocated to Niagara Falls where he worked in industry for many years. After his first retirement, he continued on with consulting work for another 10 years. Proctor Clifford Neil died in August 1991 at the age of 76.
