George H. Irvin III ’62

George Irvin died of colon cancer June 26, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska.

George prepped at the University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. At Princeton he was involved with WPRB, the Undergraduate Schools Committee, and Whig-Clio. A politics major, his thesis was on the “Evolving Ideology of the Cuban Revolution.”

After graduation, George was a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, and then did graduate work at Cornell. Joining the “War on Poverty,” he became a field representative for the Office of Economic Opportunity in Alaska. Over the next 45 years he worked with native Alaskans through the Rural Alaska Community Action Program and the Alaska Federation of Natives. An office representative mentioned both his strong managerial capabilities and his dedication to helping local people. George said, “The Alaska native people accepted me. They took me in.”

Although George was not in touch with Princeton or the class after graduation, it is obvious that he dedicated his life to helping other people — a noble cause.

The class extends its sympathy to his wife, Ursula Susan Paniyak Irvin; his sons, Michael and Christopher; his daughter, Michaelene; stepson Robert Paniyak; and his granddaughter, Jaderiane Paniyak.