Neal Cassady - Famous 'Beat' and road partner of Jack Kerouac arrested in 1958 after selling two joints to undercover agents.

source: High Times

Although his name is unrecognizable to many, Neal Cassady is one of those rare individuals whose existence changed the culture of a nation. In fact he was such an integral part of the cultural revolution birthed with the Beats and set ablaze by the Hippies that Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was to later describe Cassady as “a tool of the cosmos.” Born February 8, 1926, Neal Cassady entered this world the way he would one day be immortalized – on a road trip. He was born by the side of the road, in Salt Lake City Utah, a quick stop over on his family's journey to Hollywood in search of better prospects. Some 20 years later, a series of road trips with writer Jack Kerouac would more fully birth his place in history.

Jack had met Cassady through mutual friends at Columbia University. Jack had come to Columbia on a football scholarship, but had dropped out at the start of his second year. It had been a generally rough period in his life. His parents' finances had just gone to hell and his father was retreating into alcoholism. Meanwhile Jack was flunking out, had been seriously injured in a game, and had huge fight with his coach. It was classic Jack to play the injured, angry bear and tell everyone to go to hell. Off he went to join the Navy. But he soon found himself ill-suited to the service, and feigned insanity to get discharged. In 1944 he was back in New York, sponging off girlfriend Edie Parker and meeting Columbia students Lucien Carr, Allen Ginsberg and a smooth, worldly-wise Harvard Grad named William S. Burroughs.