User:ErezBinyamin/sandbox

Neal Andrews
"When you see a man on top of the mountain you can be sure he didn't fall there"

Neal Andrews (1963 - 2016) was an American outdoorsman, and global adventurer. Most well known for his leadership of the volunteer organization "Refugees to Camp", Neal made it a priority in his life to share the beauty of Nature with young people from all over the world.

Andrews was born in Manhattan, but was raised in Saranac Lake, where he attended a nearby summer camp, Adirondack Swim and Trip camp, in Gabriels. At this summer camp he learned to swim, canoe, and survive in the wilderness. Here he also climbed all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks and earned the title of 46'er.

As a young man, Neal Andrews life was marked with adventure. He climbed the tallest mountain in every state in the United States, from Manua Kea to Denali. He climbed and explored large portions of Thailand and South America. Everywhere he climbed he made new friends and opened more eyes to the beauty of the natural world. As he grew older, adventure remained a large portion of his life, but his priorities shifted from simply exploring the world, to sharing it with others. Neal became involved in helping refugees from Burma, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, and countless other places go to summer camp, and experience the wilderness as he had when he was younger. It was Neals dream to inspire others to explore and love nature as he did.

Neal supported himself by living a modest life, and working whatever hours he pleased as an Emergency Room nurse at St. Peters Hospital in Albany, New York. His primary passion, other than the outdoors, was lock collecting. Andrews had collected locks dating back to the early 1800's and was fascinated by their intricacy and beauty. When showing off his collection he would often note that "A lock does no more than keep an honest man honest".

Neal Andrews made frequent trips to Mexico. He enjoyed walking on the beach and interacting with the people and the culture. He passed away 12/10/16 while on vacation. His life was one of pure generosity and love, and he made an impact that will reverberate through countless lives.

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