RIP: George Watson Trumbull

We recently learned of the passing of a humanitarian with strong Schroon Lake connections. George Watson Trumbull died on February 5 in Saratoga Springs. he was 86.

He was a former board member of the Schroon Lake Arts Council,  the Lions Club, the Senior Citizens’ Club and other local organizations.

 From George’s official obit:

Born July 16, 1930 in Whitehall, New York, George was the son of Thomas M. And Carol Watson Trumbull. He was raised in Whitehall until 1944 when he moved to Round Lake, New York. In 1948, George graduated at the head of his class from Round Lake High School. He was fortunate to have had private Latin and German instruction from his mentor, a generous retired teacher. With the help of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates living in Round Lake, he was accepted at RPI in Troy, New York as a day student; this at a time when enrollment was very heavy with Veterans returning from World War II on the GI Education Bill. He graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and was hired as a Process Engineer by the California Texas Oil Corporation in New York City. This company, later known as Caltex, was formed in 1936 by Chevron and Texaco for their international oil operations in a large number of countries in the Eastern Hemisphere.

George’s assignments with Caltex included eleven years in the Middle Eastern Sheikdom of Bahrain (now a Kingdom), six years in France and Spain (where he was Secretary of the U.S. Navy League which involved many high-level interactions between Spain and the USA), and the remainder of his 34 years of service in headquarters offices in New York City and Dallas, Texas. He was assigned to New Zealand to assist the local Caltex Company temporarily in managing their interests in the new jointly-owned oil refinery there. Over his career, he progressed from Refinery Technical Services to mergers of Government and Caltex Refining Companies and finally General Management. His posts included Deputy Regional Director Bahrain at Headquarters, Deputy Managing Director Caltex Bahrain, a member of the Board of Directors for the Bahrain Petroleum Refining Company (BAPCO), and a member of the Board’s Audit Committee. At the time of his retirement in 1986, he was Vice President of Caltex Trading and Transport.

After retirement, George and his family lived in Dallas and Florida for a number of years. In 1995 he and his wife, Jeannette, became residents of North Hudson, where they had vacationed at the family camp since 1961. In 2005 they moved to the Saratoga Springs, NY area.

George’s early retirement years involved expansions to their North Hudson summer property, hiking in the Adirondacks and winter trips to Texas, Florida and other places. He was a member of the Schroon Lake, NY Arts Council, the Lions Club, the Senior Citizens’ Club and other local organizations. He was particularly proud of serving on the Lions Board of Directors as President 2002/03 and having received Knight of the Blind, Uplinger and Melvin Jones Fellowships Awards during his nine years in the Schroon Lake chapter. He and his wife were active for years as volunteers for Home Delivered Meals and provided transportation for health-related hospital and clinical visits for Essex County residents.

George’s wife of 56 years, Jeannette Auve’ Trumbull, predeceased him in 2009; his one brother, Thomas P. Trumbull, was killed in action in World War II; and his sisters, Catherine Trumbull Knee and Iris Trumbull Civalier. He is survived by his only daughter, Jeanine Trumbull Dillon, of Sterling, Virginia; one sister, Marilyn Trumbull of Saratoga Springs; grandchildren, Brendan Trumbull, Sara Jeannette, and Georgette Eileen Dillon, and nieces and nephews. George was the last direct male Trumbull of a line of Trumbulls dating to pre-Revolutionary Wartime. His grandson, Brendan, carries on the Trumbull name by virtue of his given middle name.

Services and interment will be private and at the convenience of the family. Memorial gifts may be made to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180-3590 (without which he felt life would have turned out very differently—sine qua non), or the Lions Clubs International, 300 W 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523-8842. Acknowledgements and/or condolences may be sent to Jeanine Trumbull Dillon, 46911 Wesleyan Court, Sterling VA 20164.