George Bayard Merrill ’68

George Bayard Merrill ’68 died of cancer on December 3, 2012. At Dartmouth he was a Spanish major and spent part of his junior year in Spain. George also participated in the Hanover A Better Chance program, Glee Club, Army ROTC, Casque & Gauntlet and Gamma Delta Chi as rush chairman. George led an extraordinary life of many careers, shared with his wife, Betty, whom he married in 1968. His first job was as a first- and second-grade teacher in Baltimore. This was followed by a number of positions with the federal government, including as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, senior analyst to the U.S. Budget Committee, director of human resources group in the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and director of long-range planning for the Social Service Administration. George then worked for the State of Maryland in multiple senior roles, all the while attending the University of Maryland law school at night, graduating in 1985. After three years in law practice with Venable, Baetjer and Howard, he left the firm to help his wife and son run Human Development Institute/Human Development Services, which provided job training and placement assistance. George entered the ministry in 1997. He was ordained and served as an associate minister to New Shiloh Baptist Church. In 2000, he and Betty founded Unity, an independent, non-denominational church. He is survived by Betty, children Phillip and Melissa, son-in-law Robert, granddaughter Indie Rose, three sisters, one brother, and many extended family members and friends.