Bright Shall Thy Mem’ry Be: In Memoriam
Gary R. O’Neal ’73
He soon made the mill more environmentally friendly and improved work conditions. He hung artwork. He organized employee potluck suppers. Workers knew they could count on him for assistance in an emergency. When a devastating flood in 2005 forced the mill’s permanent closure, Gary helped employees find jobs and put customers in touch with his competitors before devoting himself to his love of theatre that had been obvious since his student days.
This was a typical Gary O’Neal moment, says Burns, combining his dedication, sense of humor and fondness for pushing the envelope.
Gary was born a ready-made Broadway impresario with a love of costume design, says Randa McNamara ’71, who served as emcee at a Miss Monadnock pageant he produced in the 1970s. “Gary had a fondness for beautiful boas from the side streets of New York’s Garment District.” He topped the slinky dress he designed for her with a 12-foot boa. At just 4’1” she found herself wrapped in the black feathers of the enormous boa, the audience seeing little of her dress and less of her face. That was pure Gary, Randa notes: “Funny and theatrical to the nines.”
Gary was a wedding planner, a UNH adjunct faculty member in theatre and a school board budget committee member. In 1991, Gary was volunteering at Hinsdale High School, and student Joey Hood shared with him that he was nervous about an upcoming interview to determine whether he would be chosen to visit the U.S. Senate on a school trip. “I said I knew they would ask me what I wanted to do when I was older, and I had no clue how to answer.” Reminding Joey of his language skills and ability to connect with people, Gary said, “Don’t be silly. You’re going to be a diplomat.”
The young Joey was selected to visit the Senate. Six years later, Gary wrote him a glowing reference for a graduate fellowship that led straight into the U.S. Foreign Service. Today Hood is the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia.
Gary’s achievements were many and diverse, from helping to start the annual Winchester Pickle Festival to hosting events at Crestwood, his private estate, where he reigned as “Chef Gustave.” Although he put many people in the spotlight, he rarely stepped in front of one himself, says Stephen Gianotti ’74, his close friend of more than 50 years. Eulogizing Gary following his death on March 8, 2023, Stephen said, as if speaking directly to Gary, “And on those rare occasions when the spotlight did find you, you were so adept at quickly exiting stage right after showing a brief and beautiful bit of your humble and deferential self — always leaving your audience more curious about you than knowing about you. Countless times you have told me that, with the exception of good food, ‘always leave them wanting more.’”
Gary is survived by his sister, Marilyn George, and her husband, Stephen Hellus. He continues to help students achieve their dreams through the annual Gary O’Neal Musical Theatre Scholarship, which he created with a gift to UNH in 1987. The fund provides support to undergraduates in recognition of their interest and achievement in performance and/or production in musical theatre, dance and music.
As friend Joey Hood notes, “Gary was like a Christmas gift throughout the year.”