George Gilbert Clifton ’53

George, who celebrated our winning the Big Three football title in a large way in 1952 and then returned to his native Texas, died Jan. 22, 2010, of lung cancer at his San Antonio home.

Born in San Antonio, he was the 1949 valedictorian of Texas Military Institute, where he played football, baseball, and golf. His TMI classmates included Bill Cassin, who became a Princeton roommate. Also sharing a suite with him one time or another were John Arrington, who remembers George as a private person with a brilliant mind, Tom Boothe, Bob Burdette, Ridgely Cook, George Koehler, and Bob Logan.

George completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas and received a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1957. He was with the San Antonio district attorney’s office before hanging out his private-practice shingle.  

In 1980, he married Judy Malakoff, who had two sons from a previous marriage — Michael and James Malakoff. George loved to hunt, play golf, and fish at his Louisiana swamp property that housed crawfish farms.

A devoted husband, George got along famously with Michael, James, and five grandchildren. They are left to cherish his memory.