George Kimball Meriwether

George Kimball Meriwther III passed peacefully, surrounded by his family, on March 18 after suffering a stroke two days before. Born on March 25, 1920, George was a fifth generation Dallasite. He was the son of George K. Meriwether II and Bertie Clark Meriwether. He was a graduate of North Dallas High School, attended Southern Methodist University 1937-1938 and the University of Texas 1938-1941, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. George joined the United States Navy in 1942, and was stationed on the Aleutian Island of Attu where he piloted a Ventura bomber on raids against outer Japanese islands. George was one of the lucky one-half of his squadron who survived, due to extremely inclement weather conditions that claimed the lives of many of his comrades. After World War II, George returned to the University of Texas from 1945-1947, where he graduated with highest honors with a BBA, majoring in Banking and Finance, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He went immediately to work for the Austin National Bank as assistant cashier, and remained with the bank for 35 years before retiring as Senior Vice-President and Executive Trust Officer. George, known as “George-o” to his family and close friends, lived a life of generosity and civic involvement. He was a Founder and Past President of the Austin Community Foundation. He has served as President of the following organizations: The Trust Division of the Texas Bankers Association, Austin Child Guidance Center, Child and Family Service, Rotary Club of Austin, Austin Country Club, The Austin Assembly, and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. He served as a Board Member of the Retail Merchant’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the University of Texas Ex-Student’s Association, where he as also Treasurer from 1960 to 1975. George was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Sara May McCampbell Meriwether. He is survived by his daughter Beth Fowler and son-in-law Mike Buls, son Bill Fowler and daughter-in-law Lynn Fowler, grandchildren Will Fowler and Laura Fowler, all of Austin; niece Sally Goodson of Washington, D.C.; nephews Jimmy Goodson of Athens, TX and David Goodson of Dallas, TX. Honorary Pallbearers are Bill Milstead, George Seagert, Cecil Hale, Frank Hall and George Covert – all of Austin; Joe P. Nelson of Corpus Christi, and James A. Reichert, of Houston. A Memorial Service will be held at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, at 2 P.M. on Wednesday, March 23. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Austin Community Foundation, P.O. Box 5159, Austin, TX 78763, or the George and Sara May Meriwether Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 7278, Austin, TX 78713, or entered online at www.texasexes.org. George lived life to the fullest. He loved good jokes, fancy card tricks, laughter, adventure, travel, and being with those that he loved. Through his generosity and giving he leaves the world a better place. Memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com