George Kovatch ’55

George was born Feb. 20, 1934, in Scranton, Pa., to Anna and Alex Kovatch.

At Princeton he majored in electrical engineering and was a member of Dial. He roomed at 226 1903 Hall with George Witter and Gilmor Hamill. During the heyday of Ivy League football, George earned letters in varsity football and track. He is remembered for throwing his teammates around in drills at Blairstown.

After earning a Ph.D. from Cornell, George began his career at General Electric, moved to Martin Marietta, and then joined NASA, where he worked on control systems for space vehicles. He and wife Susan raised their four children in Hingham, Mass.

Upon retirement in 2000, they moved to Cummaquid on Cape Cod. Devoted to Princeton, George was president of the New England Alumni Association as well as chairman of the Alumni Schools Committee, and was a strong supporter of the scholar-athlete program. He was proud of 40 years of service to his country, working for the federal government and as a communications officer in the Air Force.

George died June 15, 2018, at home in Cummaquid, Mass. He is survived by Susan; children John, George, Kristina ’92, and Cecily ’94; and several grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.