USAFA Class Histories

Following is from eulogies at the funeral for George Byron:

George was born in Syracuse, New York on April 4, 1941. He came from a very musical family and George was no exception. His fine singing voice evolved from a tenor as a young man into a melodious bass voice. As he grew older, he sang in many church choirs and was instrumental in forming the Catholic Cadet Choir at USAFA. He also soloed with the Cadet Choir at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. He always carried a melody in his heart that seemed to overflow into his joyous Irish personality and pleasant disposition. Granted, he was an Irishman all the way, but George was always a true gentleman and scholar. He graduated early from high school and attended the prestigious engineering school in upstate New York, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (R.P.I.), prior to entering the Class of 1963 in the summer of 1959

While at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he worked as a personal chef for a family in Albany, New York.  The story was told that the mother of the wife of this family was coming to visit and she brought her own chef because she said that no teenager could cook well enough for her.  Her daughter talked her into having one meal prepared by George.  After this meal she sent her chef home.

As a ’63 Golden Boy, he truly enjoyed cadet life, mastering the rigorous academic and military routine. The perpetual song in his heart would often break out into Irish and English folk ballads and melodies. He would sing for his civilian hosts when the cadet wing traveled to football games in other cities, in a sense singing for his supper. It was pure heaven. In his senior year, he was the 18th Cadet Squadron’s activities officer and he surely knew how to arrange superb weekend entertainment “for the troops.”  He dated a young woman from Colorado Women’s College (CWC) whose parents owned a large operating farm in Elizabeth, Colorado. Thanks to George, the farm became almost like a retreat and R&R center for the cadet squadron on weekends. And yes, there was singing! 

George married Joan Gerteis following graduation in 1963 and they had three lovely children: Denise Elizabeth, Christopher Karl, and Catherine Helen. After his commissioning into the Air Force, George became a B-52 co-pilot, stationed at March AFB, California. He flew the Arc Light bombing strikes over South Vietnam during that war from Andersen AFB, Guam which is where our paths crossed. It was there that George told me the story of how one dark night, they somehow managed to make a wrong taxiway turn and put the fully loaded ’52 into the turf! I would imagine he was not singing at that particular point in his career.

He resigned from the Air Force in 1968 as a captain and became a man for all seasons. He was at various times a used car salesman, a stock broker, a real estate salesman, a tax consultant, and a computer programmer. He even owned a one-plane commercial airline at one time. He was also an excellent chef. George had settled in the San Francisco area and it was there that he renewed his acquaintance with a woman he had dated back at CWC as a cadet, Willetta Clark. They became good companions and “Willie” effectively became a caregiver to George as his illness began to limit his movement. George had also reconnected with me via email, sending photos and CDs of the choirs in which he sang. 

When George discovered that I pastored a small church in a rural Kansas town, he sent money monthly from his stock fund to purchase choir robes for our small choir. Yes, George was a talented, charming, friendly, and intelligent man who touched many lives in a very positive and holy way. He was a man of God in his heart of hearts who loved life and who maximized his God-given talents to the fullest in service to others. Monday, January 8, there was a beautiful service in San Francisco, California filled with the music that had filled George’s heart and life. He had sung with the St. Dominic’s choir for many years and between that choir and The Choral Project (a choir that his beloved nephew, Keith Leslie Byron sings in), George was sent into the arms of God on wings of heavenly song. His committal service at the Air Force Academy cemetery on January 12th took place amidst the frigid beauty of the snow covered evergreens and the majestic mountains that he loved so well. His middle initials, V.L., could very well stand for Very Loving. Well done, good and faithful servant. George will be missed by friends and family until we meet again. Instead of R.P.I., may he R.I.P. forever.