Kingston George (1931-2010)
Charmaine George
Linda [George] Barth
King, as he was known, served in the Army and graduated with dual engineering degrees from the Ohio State University, then moving to Santa Maria to work for the Air Force at Vandenberg. Among his many career achievements, King received national and international recognition as the head of a special tri-service task force to develop GPS applications on the national missile ranges, and laid the groundwork for a multiplicity of GPS systems in use on the ranges today. After retirement, he continued as an aerospace consultant. In the Santa Maria community, he was well-known as a long-standing member of the Santa Maria Civic Theatre, appearing in more than 20 plays over three decades, and directing six others. He was proprietor of a local camera shop for six years and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. For the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society, he was on the Board of Directors of several years in the formative early 2000s. He activated their web site, documented activities on video and in still photographs, and developed a regular newsletter, which he wrote and edited from 2003 until shortly before his passing. King was a member of the St. Andrew United Methodist Church since its inception in 1963, and was very active in the construction programs of the church over his lifetime.
King’s wife, Charmaine, carried on King’s support of the Philharmonic after his passing. She studied voice and piano in her youth and throughout her life has been active in church and community choirs, including the Allan Hancock Chorale which toured Europe in the 1990s. Ensuring that Santa Maria retained a classical music resource has been important to her, and Charmaine is a personal fan of the orchestra. This passion for sharing classical music was retained by daughter Linda, who in 2013 volunteered to help with tasks like the newsletter, just like her father. Also in his footsteps, Linda has served on the Board for several years, as secretary, and helped with renovation and modernization of the website, along with other marketing assistance. Together, the George family has provided a seamless stream of financial and expert assistance for two decades.