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Just found this article about my grandfather:
To say that George Atherholt fills up a room is an understatement. His size helps, 6-foot-6 of all man, but it's his personality that actually makes the room come to attention. George has never met a stranger.
The first time I met him was at a Rotary Club function. He walked up to me in a crowded room, laid that big, extra-large hand on my shoulder, looked down at my 6-foot-2 diminutive size and said, " I like your outdoors writing. I'm somewhat of an outdoors fellow myself."
I later found out that George is truly an "outdoors fellow." His experiences rank right up there with Ruark and Hemingway.
It took me a while, but I convinced George to let me talk to him about his life and perhaps put together a little something for The Pilot. I found out in the course of our conversation that he is truly a remarkable person.
George lives with his lovely bride, Judy, at Overlook retirement village. The morning I stopped by for our interview, Judy was off to exercise class and George showed me around his apartment. In the hall hung photos of their children, Cindy, Jeff, John, Peter and Tyson. When I commented to George that they would have quite a family reunion, he laughed and said that the kids and grandkids were spread out from one end of the country to the other so it's hard for them all to get together at one time.
We walked into the living room, and there lined up on the far wall were four sheep heads, looking out over the apartment as if standing guard. A Dali, Stone, Rocky Mountain, Big Horn and Desert Big Horn. Those four sheep put George into an exclusive organization called "The Grand Slam Club," a group of hunter/conservationists dedicated to improving and perpetuating wild sheep and goat populations worldwide.
"Tom," George said, "I don't want people to think that I'm someone who hunts to just hang heads on the wall, so you've got to help me put my story across. Those sheep are part of me. They are part of my life. I learned more about living and conservation on my hunting trips than I ever could anywhere else in the world. Come into my study and let me show you some of this stuff."
George's study walls are lined with plaques and awards from numerous organizations. He was president of the Savannah, Ga., Chamber of Commerce, president of The Salvation Army, a member of The Sons of The Revolution, a 50-year Mason, a winner of the Boy Scout Silver Antelope and Silver Beaver medals, a district governor of Rotary, and president of two Rotary clubs. He also received a presidential citation from Rotary.
He is presently serving on the board of the Occoneechee Council and the executive board of the Southern Regional Boy Scouts.
George is the chair of FirstHealth's Institutional Review Board that is presently investigating 92 cancer research programs, and he serves on the ethics committee as well as the facilities committee. As you can imagine, there is very little blank space on the walls of George's study.
"How in the world did you ever have time to work?" I asked.
"Tom, I grew up in the steel business in Pittsburgh during this country's steel heyday," he said. "I started as a laborer trainee and worked my way up. The only thing was a couple of wars interrupted my training program."
George went ashore in France on D-Day plus 7 as a first sergeant and got a battlefield commission to second lieutenant. After that war, he was called back to Korea's police action. This time he returned to civilian life as a captain. Like a lot of veterans of those days, George didn't have too much to say about his war experiences.
"When I got home from Korea," he said, "I was able to concentrate on my job and eventually ended up as senior vice president of Edgcomb Steel Company in New England. I was fortunate to be able to retire early, and Judy and I hit the road."
When George says he and Judy hit the road, they hit the road.
"We love to travel. We bought a 31-foot Airstream trailer and roamed the country, visiting every contiguous state, all of Canada's provinces and most of South America. We traveled for three years and spent two winters in Mexico and one summer in Alaska. Those were some great times."
I asked him which one of his hunting adventures stood out in his mind.
"Well, there was this polar bear hunt that I went on with a couple of Eskimos. We were hunting on Resolute Bay about 550 miles north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, exactly eight miles from the magnetic North Pole. Our dog sled driver was 15 years old, and the guide didn't look much older. It was quite a hunt. We were on the ice for 13 days with the temperature ranging from 40 to 60 below.
"Our dogs, and there were 14 of them, went for four days without food until we could shoot a seal. Although there were 24 hours of daylight, we traveled at what would be considered night because the ice was frozen harder and there was less chance of breaking through a thin spot. After checking out 81 polar bears, we were able to get an old one that the Eskimos said was on his last legs.
"One of his canine teeth was broken and the rest of his teeth were well worn. I made a film of that adventure; it's about worn out now. I guess I've shown it to about 500 groups. Yes, sir, those were the days."
George had a faraway look in his eyes as he recounted his polar bear adventure.
"You know I think I was 54 years old when I was on that hunt, a lot of water under the bridge since then. Tom, I've hunted all over North and South America, but I never wanted to hunt in Africa although I made three trips over there."
He chuckled, "I guess I specialized in just messing around in this hemisphere."
I asked George if anything special happened during his younger years.
"Naw. Well, there was the time I tried out for the '36 Olympic swim team. Almost made it. That was at Jones Beach a long time ago."
After their excursion around the continent in the Airstream, George and Judy settled in Savannah, Ga., where they lived on Skidaway Island. George was extremely active in community affairs.
"We moved to Pinehurst a few years back. We outlived all our friends in Georgia, and the island was filling up with younger folks. I remembered Pinehurst from when my dad used to play golf, so we decided to move on up here.
"It's always been important to me to give back to the community and the country whenever I can. I guess that's why I volunteer so much. Plus, I've met a lot of great people in the organizations I've been part of. I'm having a ball right now teaching Junior Achievement."
"Thanks for your time," I said as George walked me to my car. "One last question, George, to what do you attribute your longevity, and how in the world do you do it?"
I was amazed at this big fellow's attitude.
"Clean living and every now and then a little libation," George chuckled as I got into the car to drive away.
"How many years, George?"
"Let's see, in a couple weeks it'll be 90."
Tom Bryant can be reached at tom@thepilot.com
