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George J. Szabo MALS ’77

A picture of George Szabo

George J. Szabo MALS ’77 and his wife, Hope; daughter Monica is pictured.

George J. Szabo MALS ’77, June 1, 2010, in Boerne, Texas, from an infection contracted at a hospital. George was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, one of eight children, whose father was a Byzantine-rite Catholic priest. He remained a Pittsburgh Steelers fan throughout his life. In 1942, he completed an AB in agriculture, history, and political science at Rutgers. During World War II, he was a captain in the U.S. Navy and was second in command of a landing ship tank that arrived at Normandy on D-Day and was torpedoed by a German submarine. George survived the blast, along with only a few others, and he was awarded the Purple Heart. His primary career was as an executive for the Meier & Frank department store in Portland. In retirement, he earned a master's degree from ºìÌÒÊÓƵ. Daughter Monica Selk, who informed the college of her father's death and provided details for this memorial, said: “He loved it. He loved the intellectual atmosphere and the nontraditional approach to education.” After completing the degree, he taught history and business at Sandy Union High School, in Sandy, Oregon, and helped students open a school store, equipped with surplus counters and registers from Meier & Frank. George and his wife, Hope, enjoyed 67 years of marriage. Her death in 2009 left George with a broken heart. Survivors include three daughters and two grandchildren.

Appeared in ºìÌÒÊÓƵ magazine: June 2011