Neill Camp MacKay

MacKay, Neill Camp went home to be with our Lord and Savior on April 21, 2016. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, son of Neill C. MacKay, Sr., and Olivia Duncan Mackay. He married his loving wife of 63 years, Betty Pernell of Palm Beach, Florida, in 1942. Her mother was Society Editor of the Palm Beach Post for 30 years.
He was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he attended high school and played football. He held a BBA from Southern Methodist University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business (Short Course).
In May 1941, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Flying Cadet and received his wings and commission as 2nd Lieutenant on January 9, 1942. He flew both fighters and bombers in WWII, retiring early as a full Colonel.
Colonel MacKay's schools included Company and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, The Foreign Service Institute of the State Department, The Armed Forces Staff College, and the Air Force Strategic Intelligence School.
His military career included assignments as Air Base Commander, Executive to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, and Air Attache' Diplomatic Duty in the American Embassy in Santiago, Chile. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff for operations and plans of the Air Force Technical Applications Center in Washington, which was the world-wide United States nuclear blast detection system.
Another assignment for Colon MacKay was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans for the Department of Defense atomic Support Agency, which was responsible for status and accounting for all U.S. nuclear weapons.
He had numerous military decorations, was a 32nd Degree Mason, and a long-time member of Southern Hills Country Club. He was vice president of several different Tulsa corporations and president of another. He was also Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the Arkansas Basin Development Association for three years.
Colonel MacKay is survived by his son Michael and wife Renee, and grandson Cory MacKay, all of Tulsa. He is also survived by Dr. H.D. Sammons of Fallon, Missouri: Chris and Jeff Sammons of Texas: and Beth and Joel Heard of Almaty Kazakhstan, Russia.
He will be greatly missed and will forever remain in the hearts of his family and friends, whom he loved dearly.
Private services and burial will be held in San Marcos, Texas, in the family plot.
In Lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the charity of their choice.