Ted Raphael ’67 remembers Janet McNeill, who passed away on March 3, 2025 . . .
We met during orientation, dated all of freshman year, and were very close at the time. To my knowledge, the only reunion she attended was the 25th in 1992, where we reconnected and had long conversations catching up on our lives and those of our families.
From the 1965 Hi-O-Hi
She married in mid-life and had no children. She is survived by her husband, Dave Musante, 94, whom Janet met when he was mayor of Northhamption, MA and she was Director of Public Relaions at Smith College.
Dave and Janet in the Peace Corps, 2004
I was a great admirer of Janet's father, Robert McNeill. He was a courageous Southern Presbyterian minister and outspoken advocate for social justice through his ministry in Columbus, GA. National press coverage of his activities (New York Times and Look magazine) and local hostility by some church members led to his forced resignation from the First Presbyterian Church. He suvived two heart attacks. He accepted a ministry in Charleston, WV, where Janet attended high school.prior to coming to Oberlin.
Daniel Brent (1967)
Jan was a friend throughout our years at Oberlin. She was a kind and good person who fully deserved the happiness she achieved in her life. I remember her fondly. May her memory be for a blessing.
Dan Brent
Chuck Dickinson (1967)
Ted ... thank you for these interesting memories and insights about Janet. I didn't know her, but I wish I had after reading your comments.
I *talked* about the civil rights struggle earnestly at Oberlin, but now I know she had *lived* the reality of that struggle in her own family before she even came to Oberlin.
Thank you for sharing… Chuck