George I. Wooding III ’80

George died Aug. 31, 2012, in Martinsville, Va.

He graduated from Martinsville High School and matriculated at Princeton in the fall of 1975. During his freshman year, George roomed with Andrew Lange and Ralph Petrilli in 1903 Hall. He lived in Blair Hall with Brian Dahlquist, Brad Houser, and Steve Matthews during sophomore year, and Brad Houser, Peter Maritz, and Hal Stockbridge junior year in Witherspoon. George was a unique and talented individual who wrote a novel, On the Precipice of the World, during his freshman and sophomore years. An early devotee of punk music, he visited New York often to see bands such as the Ramones at CBGB during the club’s early years. George was frequently seen on campus wearing his beloved New York Mets batting helmet. He also worked as a late-night Weenie Man.

After graduation, George was a sports writer for a number of papers in the Winston-Salem, N.C., area. He also wrote and published adult short-fiction books under the pen name Thom Wakefield, the main character in his novels. From the late 1980s onward, George left few footprints until his death.