W.H. Krome George
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death September 6, 2004 of Honorary Trustee and Honorary Member W.H. Krome George of Sewickley, PA at St. John’s Specialty Care Center in Mars, PA, from complications of a heart attack and stroke. He was age 86.
Krome George had a long association with the Institution. He was elected a Member of the Corporation in 1976 and a Trustee in 1979, and served on numerous committees through the years. He was elected an Honorary Member and Honorary Trustee in 1988.
William Henry Krome George was born March 27, 1918 in St. Louis, MO. Known as Krome, he was named for his grandfather, William Henry Krome, a chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He graduated from Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, IL, where his father was a marble supplier. He attended the Virginia Military Institute for two years before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and business administration in 1940.
His career was spent at the Aluminum Company of America, later ALCOA, where be started work in 1942 as a chemical engineer at the company’s plant in East St. Louis. He rose through the management ranks and in 1972 became chief operating officer, responsible for ALCOA’s worldwide manufacturing and marketing activities. He was named chief executive in 1975 and chairman several months later. He stepped down as chairman of the executive committee in 1983.
He served on numerous boards, including the Foundation of Indiana Colleges, Allegheny Health, Education and Research Corporation, Committee for Economic Development, International Executive Services Corp, the US-USSR Trade and Economic Council, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the National Center for Resource Recovery, International Paper Co., Mellon Bank, PPG Industries, Pullman Co. and Norfolk Southern Railroad. He was a trustee of the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Society of Metals, the Materials Information Society, the Watson Institute, and a director emeritus of Allegheny General Hospital, North Side.
Survivors include his wife, Jean (Murphy) George, of Sewickley, PA; three sons, Doyle George of Charlotte, NC, Robert George of Harwick, PA, and Peter George of Austin, TX; a sister, BobbyAnn George, of Aiea, HI; and seven grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were private. A memorial service was held September 13, 2004 at the Presbyterian Church in Sewickley. Memorial donations may be made to MIT, the Presbyterian Church, Virginia Military Institute and the Watson Institute.