A Courageous and Inspiring Man

I continue to think of George often. His take on a Bible verse, his chipper response to my laments, his repeated outreach when my wife died, his resonating insight into political strife, and his undaunted spirit to get at the truth—all come to mind. He was more than a friend; he was a life-comrade, spiritual guide, and go-to healer.

I first met George back in the late 1960s at the Adventure Unlimited camps where I was a counselor. He chaperoned one of the busses of high school kids coming to the camps for a week. He was instantly a kindred spirit questioning the war and attuned to civil rights while bubbling over with love and enthusiasm. A few years later I ended up teaching at Principia College and found George as a Christian Science practitioner after his Vista service in Alton, Illinois. He was a great support to our group of students living and participating in the community, instead of on campus. As our lives moved on from there, George was always at the end of the phone for some needed perspective, direction, and healing. No platitudes or glib truisms. But searching compassion and understanding.

At one point, I got George to speak to my Christian Science Association. The audience was so struck by his fresh yet profound message on “Life that maketh all things new” that they wanted him to return. His relaxed joy amidst his pressing questions, I’m sure was part of it. I was especially inspired by how he so persisted on his book project, The Ram’ in a Thicket, on the (mis)practice of Christian Science. It was a fete of courage and engagement. In the 6-7year writing process, George stimulated rousing dialogue amongst so many of us, and the books eventual publication has thrust our thinking forward out of the doldrums of Christian Science culture. It is a message of Christian compassion against the dogma and ritual that has weighed down Christian Science churches. It has substantiated my questioning of the self-focused, super conservative, and military prone attitudes quest for social justice, non-violence, and fresh thought. Certainly, George’s The Ram will be his most noted legacy. It so reflects his care and outreach to so many through his life – in chaplaincies at prisons and hospitals, as a church worker among diverse members, and especially among his wonderful family and their life challenges and advances. George remains a man of staying power and graceful stirrings.