George Morse - Cooling Down

George was a pre-World War II baby born in 1939.  George’s father worked in sales, whose vocation required that the family relocate when he was transferred to a new assignment.  By the time George was age 14, the family had resided in seven states.  Unable to establish homestead exemption and causing George anguish over continually having to establish new friendships, the family settled in Atlanta.  George graduated from North Fulton High School, now Atlanta International School.  After graduation in the era of no free rides with college loans, George worked part time and attended Southern Technical Institute (STI) at the old Naval Air Station in Chamblee, GA.  He graduated in 1961 from STI the first year that the campus had relocated to Marietta.  George has a phobia for selecting schools to attend that change their names.  STI was no exception later becoming Southern Polytechnic State University, and most recently Kennesaw State.    

George like many in the age 70-74 to 75-79 age group were faced with the draft and the Vietnam War after their educational deferment ended.   George did not wait for events to overcome his future and volunteered for the Air Force in 1962, incurring a four-year service obligation.  His service tenue as expected with his engineering background began with a year of technical school courses.  His permanent station assignment was Whitman Air Force Base (AFB) somewhere in Missouri.  George was part of a team that serviced Minuteman missile silos and launch control centers in the continental United States.  George continued reserve service in the Georgia Air National Guard, as per attached photos of pre-ISIS, George deployed to Turkey before Turkey was cool!    

After discharge, George retuned to Atlanta in 1966 and secured an engineering position with AT&T.  At age thirty, George married with the union producing two offspring.  Son Alan joined the Navy after High School.  Daughter Shelly graduated from Shorter College in Rome, GA with a B.A in Education.  Shelly and her husband Patrick have given George three grandchildren.  Like many of us, including Bob Slowpants, George’s marriage did not last.  George started walking to internalize the stress of his unhappy marriage.  He met others walking and jogging and someone he encountered suggested that he attempt a 5K race.  George, following their advice, eventually had his first racing encounter at the now defunct Runway 5K at the Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta.  George was hooked as he developed many friends who looked forward to Saturday races.

 George, like many of the senior members of the running community, was a runner, in mid-life a jogger, and now a participant.  George had run the Peachtree Road Race many times but retired his 10K shoes in 2012.  His favorite race is the Marble Festival in Jasper, GA.   George likes this race because you can sit down for the awards, and that the awards are “hefty” marble slabs.  His second favorite is the Cave Spring 5k when he encounters friends Ed and Karen Larsen of Carrollton.   

George like many of the senior runners misses Howard Peck, who had a tradition of a post-race cool down with an adult beverage after a race that he supplied from a cooler in his vehicle trunk.  George is not the only senior runner who misses Howard!  

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.  Watch for the profile on Athens runner Mary Lou Kau, and the profile on speedy Mark Townsend.