26 Facts About Neal Cassady

Neal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s.

Neal Cassady was prominently featured as himself in the "scroll" version of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, and served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in the 1957 version of that book.

In many of Kerouac's later books, Cassady is represented by the character Cody Pomeray.

Neal Cassady appeared in Allen Ginsberg's poems, and in several other works of literature by other writers.

Neal Cassady's mother died when he was 10, and he was raised by his alcoholic father in Denver, Colorado.

Neal Cassady spent much of his youth either living on the streets of skid row, with his father, or in reform school.

Neal Cassady was arrested for car theft when he was 14, for shoplifting and car theft when he was 15, and for car theft and fencing stolen property when he was 16.

In 1941, the 15-year-old Cassady met Justin W Brierly, a prominent Denver educator.

Neal Cassady continued his criminal activities and was repeatedly arrested from 1942 to 1944; on at least one of these occasions, he was released by law enforcement into Brierly's safekeeping.

In June 1944, Neal Cassady was arrested for possession of stolen goods and served 11 months of a one-year prison sentence.

In October 1945, after being released from prison, Neal Cassady married 16-year-old Lu Anne Henderson.

Jack had a formal education, which Neal Cassady envied, but intellectually he was more than a match for Jack, and they enjoyed long discussions on every subject.

Five weeks after Lu Anne's departure, Neal Cassady got an annulment from Lu Anne and married Carolyn, on April 1,1948.

In 1950, Neal Cassady entered into a marriage with Diane Hansen, a young model who was pregnant with his child, Curtis Hansen.

Neal Cassady traveled cross-country with both Kerouac and Ginsberg on multiple occasions, including the trips documented in Kerouac's On the Road.

Carolyn stated that she was looking to relieve Neal Cassady of the burden of supporting a family, but "this was a mistake and removed the last pillar of his self-esteem".

Neal Cassady first met author Ken Kesey during the summer of 1962; he eventually became one of the Merry Pranksters, a group that formed around Kesey in 1964, who were vocal proponents of the use of psychedelic drugs.

Neal Cassady appears at length in a documentary film about the Merry Pranksters and their cross-country trip, Magic Trip, directed by Alex Gibney.

In January 1967, Neal Cassady traveled to Mexico with fellow prankster George "Barely Visible" Walker and Neal Cassady's longtime girlfriend Anne Murphy.

Neal Cassady was beloved for his ability to inspire others to love life, yet at rare times he was known to express regret over his wild life, especially as it affected his family.

Finally, in late January 1968, Neal Cassady returned to Mexico .

On February 3,1968, Neal Cassady attended a wedding party in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Robert, son of Neal Cassady and Maxine Beam, is an artist working in Arvada, Colorado.

Neal Cassady was one of the co-founders of radio station WEBE 108, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Neal Cassady is credited with helping Kerouac break with his Thomas Wolfe-influenced sentimental style, as seen in The Town and the City.

Neal Cassady's own written work was never formally published in his lifetime, and he left behind only a half-written manuscript and a number of personal letters.