Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 1, 1938, Neal Lovsnes was a bachelor of science graduate of the class of 1960.   While at Dickinson he was a four-year member of both the basketball and baseball teams, captaining the latter in his last two seasons.  He was also active in  the Belles Lettres Literary Society, the D-Club, and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity for four years.  A R.O.T.C. cadet, he graduated as a force commander and a cadet lieutenant colonel. 

He became a member of the regular army specializing in field artillery.  He had married Sue Wiegand of St. Louis.  In October, 1968, he began a tour of duty in South Vietnam.   On April 15, 1969, while traveling to take up a command with the 101st Airborne Division, his helicopter was brought down by hostile fire in Thua Thien province.  Major Neal Lovsnes was thirty years old.