George Marcellus Onken ’36

George died July 21, 2005. He was 92.

A graduate of Brooklyn Friends School, he majored in economics at Princeton and was a member of Elm Club. He served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, and was awarded the Secretary of the Navy Citation.

In 1946 he graduated from Columbia Law School. He received a master's degree from the NYU School of Law in 1952. In 1947 he joined the Long Island Railroad, where he became general counsel, vice president, and secretary. He often served as acting president. He retired in 1978.

George's numerous community interests included being a vestryman of the Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights, serving as chairman of the Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA, and, for more than four decades, being a member of the Orphan Society of the city of Brooklyn, later Brookwood Child Care. In 1998 George and his wife, Mildred, were honored with Brookwood's Lifetime Commitment and Service Award. Together, the two had more than 80 years of great service to the organization.

George is survived by Mildred, his wife of 48 years, and their daughters, Jane E. and Nancy C. Onken.

The Class of 1936