Robert B. McNeill

Media Reaction This incident drew a great amount of media attention to McNeill, who "was bombarded with calls from all over the country," Time magazine also wrote of the incident on June 22, 1959. They described how the congregation had protested the chairman's decision, telling him that "You have been listening to the wrong people," and noting that "Some women in the choir burst into tears." On July 12, The Miami News published a large article chronicling the story, and saying that "Nowhere has the South's tragic cleavage on the racial question produced a more shattering effect."

Heart Attack The stress of the press's attention, as well as the stress that had been on McNeill from the challenge of running the church, caused him to have a heart attack while spending time with his children at a bowling alley, three days after he had been dismissed.

Acceptance of Position at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church

After he had recovered from his heart attack, McNeill decided to take up a position at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church, located in Charleston, West Virginia.

McNeill also published an autobiographical book chronicling his experience entitled God Wills Us Free, which was published in 1965.