George Mifflin Dallas, IV

George Mifflin Dallas IV, Age 88, of Concord died June 11, 2023

 

George was born on September 11, 1934 in Philadelphia, PA. The youngest child of Constance Hopkins (Snow) Dallas and George Mifflin Dallas III, he joined two older sisters, Constance Hopkins Dallas Millet (Connie) and Edith Wharton Dallas Taylor (Deedee). 

 

George grew up in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. He attended Springside School, Chestnut Hill Academy and Germantown Friends School (GFS), a school to which he remained devoted. There he fostered many lifelong friendships, including that of Helen Riley, with whom he shared a particularly dear and loving relationship over the past thirteen years. As a youth, he enjoyed soccer and tennis, and served on the Student Council.  In 1949 and again in 1950, he served as a U. S. Senate Page, first for Senator Francis J. Myers of Pennsylvania and then for Senator Leveret Saltonstall of Massachusetts. His summers were spent with family in the woods and fields of their Bucks County farm which he adored.

 

George proudly attended Harvard University where he majored in American History, was a bass singer in the Glee Club, and member of the Phoenix Club, graduating in 1956.  

 

In 1957 he enlisted in the Navy where he served for three years eventually becoming an Operations Officer on the destroyer, the USS Stickell, based in Norfolk, Virginia. His active duty naval service took him to the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and Caribbean. He would often recall posts at night out on the deck watching the moonrise over the sea.

 

In 1960, he transitioned to Naval reserve status and began to study law at the University of Pennsylvania. In the summer of 1961 he met Sarah (Sally) Anne Kraetzer, whom he married on September 8, 1962, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord, MA. 

 

George earned his JD degree in 1963 and began practicing with the Boston firm Rackemann, Sawyer and Brewster, specializing in real estate law.  His career developed with Gaston & Snow and later Urbelis & Fieldsteel, and concluded with a solo practice before his retirement in 2009. His practice always included pro bono service and he was particularly gratified in helping young couples purchase their first home.

George was a lifelong contributor in many ways to the civic life of Concord. Positions he held included: Director and Clerk of Emerson Hospital; Campaign Chair of the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest; Trustee and President of the Concord Free Public Library and co-chair of its 1986 capital campaign; Director of Emerson Umbrella Arts Center; Commissioner of Concord Public Works; Member of the Concord Planning Board; Trustee of the Concord Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, supporting low-income housing; and Town Meeting moderator. He volunteered with the Concord Prison’s Read to Me, Daddy program, videotaping inmates reading stories to their children. He also served as a trained facilitator with Communities for Restorative Justice, providing guidance to juvenile offenders.

Singing choral music was a lifelong passion and George was devoted to supporting the Harvard Glee Club Alumni Association and was Founding Chair of the capital campaign for choral music at Harvard and Radcliffe. He was instrumental in launching Harvard’s partnership with the Kyoto University Glee Club “Old Boys”, going on several joint tours, including in Japan and Hawaii; and hosting Japanese singers in his home. He also enjoyed many years singing with The Concord Chorus.

Raised Episcopal at Saint Paul’s Church in Chestnut Hill, PA, he became an active member of Concord’s Trinity Church, serving on its Vestry as both Junior and Senior Warden. He sang in the choir for over 40 years, was a founder of Trinity’s Memorial Garden, and a generous contributor to its building renovation. In the early 1990s, he enriched his faith by attending The Episcopal Divinity School part time, where he earned a DMin Degree. This study afforded him a chance to “scratch intellectual itches” that included Christian approaches to dispute resolution, acoustical features of church architecture, and Native American spirituality and ideas. 

George’s physical pursuits included his doubles tennis group at the Thoreau Tennis Club and golfing and paddle tennis which he especially enjoyed playing at the Concord Country Club. He was a surf fisherman which he relished during family vacations on Martha’s Vineyard. He loved taking his family hiking and car-camping in the woods and mountains of New England.

He was fortunate to travel to Europe on several occasions, including to his ancestral village of Dallas in Scotland, and also to Turkey and Israel for tours of The Holy Land. He enjoyed many winter trips with his wife and sometimes dear friends to Florida beaches, Caribbean islands and Iceland.

George was a showman and loved performing. At parties or celebrations, he could be counted on for a long rhyming toast. He enjoyed community theater and famously played Oz in 51 Walden’s production of The Wizard of Oz. He loved marching in costume for Concord’s Patriot’s Day Parade with The Singing Doughboys. Friends, family, and acquaintances could count on him for silliness and fun.

George’s family extends huge gratitude to the generous caretakers and staff of The Gardens and Newbury Court who so kindly cared for him and enriched his life for the past five years. 

George is survived by his daughter Martha Marshall Dallas and daughter-in-law Lucena Campbell Gluck of Burlington, VT; Sarah Hopkins Dallas Milt and son-in-law Stephen Scott Milt of Winchester, MA; and Elisabeth Wharton "Beezie” Dallas and son-in-law Robert Demeranville of Washington, DC. He is also survived by his two grandchildren, Rachel Dallas Milt and Alexander Larkin Milt.  

A memorial service will be held on September 9, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord. George will be laid to rest in the Trinity Church Memorial Garden, immediately following the service. 

 

Concord's town flag will fly at half-staff on Saturday, September 9, 2023 in honor or George's faithful service to his country.

Those who wish to may make contributions in George’s memory to the Trinity Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 81 Elm St., Concord, MA 01742. His family also welcomes gifts in his memory to  Harvard Glee Club Alumni via Harvard Glee Club Foundation, Inc. 919 Broadway Hanover, MA 02339.

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, Concord, MA 01742  978-369-3388  To sign the online guest book please visit www.concordfuneral.com