Deceased December 27, 2020

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In Memory

George Megrue passed away Dec. 27, 2020, from complications of COVID-19. He is survived by Suzanne, his wife of 63 years; three children; their spouses; 14 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a brother.

Megs lived an extraordinary life with accomplishments too numerous to mention in their entirety. Prominent among them were M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in geology from Columbia University, followed by pioneering work at the Brookhaven, Smithsonian, Harvard and other laboratories, and at NASA. Subsequently he explored the soil and rocks in the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. His professional career culminated in the establishment of his own spectrometry company, Megrue MicroAnalytical Systems.

Along with Suzanne, he founded the Foxglove School in New Canaan, Conn. In addition to leadership roles in numerous civic organizations, he was a member of Rotary International, serving as its president in 1985.

Megs studied sculpture at The Art Students League of New York and participated in several exhibitions featuring figurative work in wood, metal and fiberglass. He also did work in graphics and photography.

During his time at Amherst, he led summertime excursions with several classmates to Washington state for employment at pea canneries in Walla Walla and Mount Vernon. There he met Suzie, his future wife.

What we remember most about Megs were the wide-ranging conversations that took us on journeys of words for hours, whole afternoons, whole evenings. He knew a great deal about the physical, geographical and geological world but also about the world of ideas, both as a scientist and as an artist. Talking with Megs always left us enriched and inspired.

He was intellectually curious, a lifelong learner, affable and generous. Most important, he was a family man and a great friend. We miss him, but our time together during and after Amherst leaves wonderful memories.

George Amabile ’57, George Furbish ’57 and Jeff Nugent ’57