George first came to Avon in the late '60s as a member of a Visiting Committee completing a ten-year re-accreditation. He fell in love with the school and hoped he was destined to return. At that time, he was a member of the faculty at Tabor Academy, where he earned the nickname "Nails." That nickname must have rung true for Avonians as well when George was hired to succeed Don Pierpont and took over as headmaster in the fall of 1969.
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| This portrait of George hangs in the Estabrook Board Room |
One thing that always struck me about George was his remarkable instincts for this work. He always seemed to know what questions would lead directly to the heart of the matter and how to respond once he got there. At times, it almost seemed as though George had a "sixth sense."
On one such occasion, my wife woke me up in the middle of a late spring night to report odd noises emanating from the Quad. A senior prank, perhaps? When we looked out the window, we saw some seniors somehow hoisting a canoe up into one of the big trees near Eagle. I started to get dressed, pondering exactly what I might say to a group of seniors bent on some sort of canoe-tree mischief, when a second look out the window revealed the canoe being being lowered back to the ground. What had caused the pranksters to change course? George was standing just inside Eagle Archway staring intently at the proceedings. If he said anything, I did not hear it, but the boys were quickly about the business of undoing their handiwork and slinking off the bed. When I asked George later on how he had known what was going on - had he heard noises from the Quad? - he said he was not sure; he woke up and somehow knew that going for a walk was a good idea.
On one such occasion, my wife woke me up in the middle of a late spring night to report odd noises emanating from the Quad. A senior prank, perhaps? When we looked out the window, we saw some seniors somehow hoisting a canoe up into one of the big trees near Eagle. I started to get dressed, pondering exactly what I might say to a group of seniors bent on some sort of canoe-tree mischief, when a second look out the window revealed the canoe being being lowered back to the ground. What had caused the pranksters to change course? George was standing just inside Eagle Archway staring intently at the proceedings. If he said anything, I did not hear it, but the boys were quickly about the business of undoing their handiwork and slinking off the bed. When I asked George later on how he had known what was going on - had he heard noises from the Quad? - he said he was not sure; he woke up and somehow knew that going for a walk was a good idea.
