George V. Dimitrov ’79

George V. Dimitrov died July 28, 2014, in Richmond, Va., after a 10-year battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. George will be remembered for his generous, outgoing personality, his quiet confidence, his optimism, and sense of humor.

George was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and came to Princeton from Manville (N.J.) High School. He played freshman football and participated in Army ROTC. His roommates included Mark Greeley, Armand D’Accordo, Howard Miller, Rich Kaplan, Larry Carrillo, and Barry Miller. He was an economics major and a member of Quadrangle Club.

After graduation, George was commissioned into the Army. He became an accomplished aviator, flying a variety of aircraft in Europe and the U.S. He served with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, where he commanded a battalion. George attended the Naval Test Pilot School and was deeply involved in Army aviation research and development.

After retiring from the Army, where he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, George served as chief in the Rapid Prototyping Division at the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate. In 2004, he won the Army’s Civilian of the Year award for his work developing technologies that reduce friendly-fire incidents by using satellites to help aviators identify U.S. troops on the battlefield.

He is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 33 years, Susan Henning; his mother, Slava; and his sisters, Helena and Margareth.