Dennis McNeil is known locally as the volunteer tenor who takes singing the National Anthem to a new level at events such as the Manhattan Beach 10K, Veterans Day ceremonies, and most recently, at the Redondo Beach Power Plant decommissioning ceremony on New Years Eve.
In his professional life, the classically trained tenor Dennis has sung for five U.S. presidents and 14 Supreme Court Justices, among the Sandra Day O’Connor, with whom he became a close friend.
Last month her family asked him to perform at O’Connor’s official funeral, on December 19, at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
“It was a great honor to have been asked by the family to take part in such an historic event. All three of her sons and their families have become dear friends thanks to Sandra,” McNeil said.
A photo of McNeil that appeared the following day in the New York Times shows him leading O’Connor’s family and mourners, including President Joseph Biden, and the entire Supreme Court, in the closing song, “America the Beautiful.”
“I started by singing the first verse ACapella, then the Cathedral Choir, led by director Michael McCarthy, joined in on the second verse, with the organ. In the final verse, the entire congregation joined in. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church, McNeil said.
Next week, at the invitation of Chief Justice Roberts, McNeil will return to Washington D.C to sing at a Supreme Court annual gathering. ER
