George Camp

George Camp, 98, was born on August 15, 1926, to Ira Camp and Susie (Dittmeyer) Camp in an oilfield shotgun house at the oilfield camp at “4 Mile Hill” outside Drumright in Creek County, Oklahoma. He passed away on February 9, 2025.

George spent his early years on the family farm 1.5 miles outside of Cleo Springs, Oklahoma, where he graduated from high school. During World War II, he volunteered for the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific Theater, stationed in Leyte in the Philippine Islands and later in Japan. While serving in the G-3 Section of the General Headquarters of the United States Army Forces Pacific (GHQ AFPAC)—the command center for Allied forces in the Pacific under General MacArthur—he was among a select few granted permission to attend the first day of the Japanese War Crimes Trials on May 3, 1946. He observed that several defendants, having attended college in the U.S., were able to plead “not guilty” in flawless English.

After the war, George attended the University of Oklahoma on the GI Bill, earning his law degree (JD) in 1950, marking the start of a 28-year career in public service. During his college years, he met and married Lora Lee Atchison, and they shared 56 years together until her passing in 2005.

George was elected County Attorney of Major County in 1950 and re-elected in 1952. One of his first major cases was a successful appeal to President Truman, overturning a flawed court-martial conviction for the killing of two civilians.

In 1954, he and Lora Lee moved to Oklahoma City, where he served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney until 1961. He was later elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, serving from 1962 to 1982, followed by a term as a municipal judge in Luther, Oklahoma, from 1982 to 1983.

As Assistant U.S. Attorney, George led the initial FBI and IRS investigation into corruption among Oklahoma Supreme Court justices, ultimately leading to their impeachment. As a legislator, he held numerous Republican leadership positions and chaired multiple committees. He played a pivotal role in shaping state law, authoring legislation that repealed school segregation, established Oklahoma’s first no-smoking law, and created a pioneering legal framework to protect the status of children conceived through artificial insemination. Additionally, he authored major reforms in criminal procedure that improved judicial efficiency and significantly reduced costs—estimated to have cut the annual cost of administering criminal justice by approximately 33%.

Over his legal career, George handled cases across Oklahoma and as far as Los Angeles, and he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as various lower federal and state courts.

A voracious reader and avid traveler, George and his family visited nearly every U.S. state, as well as China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Canada, Egypt, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and more. In their later years, he and Lora Lee operated a successful wheat farm near Olustee, Oklahoma.

After Lora Lee’s passing in 2005, George became active in the local dancing community, where he met many wonderful friends. He was also a longtime member of the Lions Club.

George was preceded in death by his wife, Lora Lee (Atchison) Camp; his brothers, Carl and Lile; his sister, Norma Lee; and his daughter, Cheryl. He is survived by his son, Mark A. Camp M.D., and his wife, Camille; twin grandchildren, Madeline and Ian Camp; and his special friend, Maureen Goodmon.

Funeral services will be held at Bill Merritt Funeral Service on Monday, February 17, at 10:00 A.M. For more information, visit: www.billmerrittfuneralservice.com