A native of Washington, D.C., George’s professional life was based there and he resided in nearby Chevy Chase, Md. He was a product of St. Albans School. At Princeton he majored in basic engineering and graduated with high honors and election to Phi Beta Kappa. He dined at Cap and Gown.

After Harvard Business School, George hit the ground running by joining his father’s firm of Ferris and Co. It was a regional force and became a top investment bank for high-tech businesses as well as federal contractors. George served as a governor of the New York Stock Exchange.  

George’s many civic interests included the National Symphony Orchestra and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

George is survived by his widow, Nancy; sons George III, Willard, and David; and daughters Kelly and Kimberly ’89. To them, the class offers its condolences on the death of a friend who thought it unlikely he would ever retire. “I’m not the type of person who can go to Florida and worry about his tee time,” George said.

Undergraduate Class of 1948