George Marshall Hornblower ’39

Whistle died Oct. 6, 2006, at home in Washington, D.C.

He came to us from Groton School. He majored in classics, joined Ivy Club, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. As coxswain, he led the varsity crew to the 1936 Olympic trials.

Whistle graduated from Yale Law School before entering the Navy for war service in Washington. He then went into law practice and was a founding partner of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. He served many major clients, and for 44 years was counsel to the Carnegie Institution. His colleagues considered him a master draftsman in complex negotiations. It was said that with his literary skills, he used style and words as an artist uses easel and oils.

He had many hobbies. Foremost was the family home on U Street, which he and his wife, Marne, bought in 1948, and then renovated and expanded. Passionate about trees and ferns, he created an arboretum at home. Equally passionate about sailing, he earned his nickname racing boats on Long Island Sound, the Potomac, and Michigan’s lakes.

Whistle and Marne Lloyd-Smith were married in 1940. Marne died in 2004. He is survived by three daughters; son Jonathan ’73; 11 grandchildren (including Dune Lawrence ’97); and four great-grandchildren. To them all, we send deepest sympathy.