November 22 - Where Are They Now? Wednesday - George

This week’s WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WEDNESDAY is a good friend and former roommate, George. As luck would have it I have solved a mystery of my June 7, Where Are They Now? I found George. First some background.

George joined NCR in 1985 after I had been there a year. George’s lasting legacy at NCR happened during a intracompany sporting event. George was the only person ever flagged for two personal fouls on one basketball play. George took out two defenders on a drive for a lay-up. Because he charged, knocked over, and hurt two players, he was assessed two fouls.

George had also graduated from The Ohio State University, so we hung together and lived in the same apartment complex in Dayton, OH.

We took skiing trips to Michigan, a white-water rafting trip to West Virginia and were part of group Halloween costumes for several years. Pictured below is one of our group costumes. We were part of a six pack of beers.

George, and another friend, Scott, and I also took a life changing vacation to California in 1986.

At the end of trip I professed that I would never live in California. George indicated that it was only a matter of time for him.

As fate would have it I was offered a promotion in the summer of 1987. I was given the choice of Memphis or Southern California. I chose warmly.

I offered any of my buddies the opportunity to join me on my California Dreaming adventure. No one said, “Yes.” I sweetened the deal and said, “Free rent until you find a job.” George took one large step forward.

I had a plan. I always say, “ Nobody plans to fail, they just fail to plan.” George just heard “free rent.”

The first nine months flew by, as George could not find employment in a land where people are climbing fences and swimming rivers to get to jobs that go unfilled. I believe the unemployment rate was actually the lowest in history, except in my household. George was exploring all options as he at one point invited the local Jehovah Witnesses in for a chat. See August 4 Friday Funny on Organized Religion.

Before George could land the job, he did close the best deal of his life. He met, dated, and got engaged to his future and current wife, Shannon. Shannon had effects on George that I couldn’t motivate. George got a job and moved in with Shannon. I moved on as well, taking a promotion that took me to Northern California.

See George work. See George get an MBA. See George buy a house. See George procreate. See George procreate again.

Through the years, George and I have kept in touch. I was in his wedding. He sent me a card for mine.

Scott, George, and I re-united in California (picture below) for the 1997 Rose Bowl when Ohio State beat #1 Arizona State.

We also saw the Sept. 20, 2001 game when Ohio State visited UCLA. Ohio State lost that game. It was the first weekend of sports after 9-11. Results didn’t seem as important as before.

George then traveled back east for the Ohio State football game when the Buckeyes visited Cincinnati at the beginning of their 2002 National Championship Game campaign.

We have also had family get togethers. My family would travel to California to see the in-laws every time a new grandchild would appear. We would meet up with George, Shannon, and their 2 kids, at a restaurant that neither one of us could ever visit again.

As we fast forward to last weekend, George, Scott, and I met for the 2006 edition of The Game, when Ohio State played michigan.

George updated us on his California life. All sounds good. Some thought that George and Kato Kaelin would be life long roommates. The only person to have greater, unpredicted success in California than George would be Arnold Schwarzenegger.