1923-George Chapman Thayer died suddenly of a heart attack on April 21, 1952. As it appears in our Sixth Form Year Book, his curriculum vitae scholasticae records his intellectual interests, his athletic accomplishments and that he was class secretary. Only three others that year are of equal or greater length. In his adult life, George was one of those, alas too rare, who redeemed in full the promise of his youth. At the University of Pennsylvania, George played football for three years, was named All American in 1925 and was captain in his senior year. He was a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry and was 1st Lieutenant when it was inducted into Federal service in February 1941. He was assigned to command another unit in the regiment and, before a vacancy in the command of the Troop occurred, he had his first heart attack. Thus he was debarred from following his father as its captain. All remember that: what we are likely to forget is George's success in business. After college, he worked in Honduras for the United Fruit Company. On his return home, he became an investment counselor and was the Philadelphia representative of Scudder, Stevens and Clark. After separation from the service, he went back to a Vice-Presidency of the Western Savings Fund Society but he left to go with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Beane, becoming a general partner at the end of last year. At the time of his death, a prosperous future seemed assured him. It is as a family man, however, that those who knew George best will remember him. In 1930 he married Mary Steel and to them were born two sons, of whom George C. Thayer, Jr., '51, is the elder, and four daughters. His form will miss his friendliness, his urbanity and his penetrating wit. His family will miss that, of course, but much more his patriarchal love and affection. To them we can only say, as was said of old, that though God's purposes are not revealed, they are not for that reason unjust.
