George WISLAR

1932 - 2017

WISLAR, George Rowland George Rowland Wislar died at home May 30, 2017, after 84 years of a life well lived. Born December 12, 1932, in Trenton, New Jersey, George grew up hunting quail with his father on horseback in South Georgia, loving most to watch the dogs work. When he wasn't romping with the black labs he adored or raising a field trial dog, he was skating circles around his opponents in the hockey rink, piling up strikes with his knuckleball, and honing his skills on the golf course. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey before attending Yale University on a NROTC scholarship, where George captained the Varsity Golf Team, was Social Chairman for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Upon graduation, he served four years in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of Captain, and serving in the Second Reconnaissance Battalion. In his last year, he was a member of the Marine Corps Golf Team while serving as the aide to the base commander. In 1958, George attended Harvard Business School, completing his Masters in Business Administration. George launched his investment banking profession with Kidder Peabody in New York and then moved to The Robinson Humphrey Company in Atlanta. While there he co-founded National Data Corporation, which grew rapidly and was listed on the NYSE. An inveterate visionary, George spent the next thirty years in the corporate and private sectors, implementing his leadership skills, spearheading new companies, and boosting performance of long established firms. Alex Brown and Sons in Atlanta, two TORO distributorships, Fountainhead Water, and GreenTech all benefitted from George's forward thinking strategies, business acumen, and unfaltering integrity. George's zest for life was not limited to his profession; he excelled at his passions of quail hunting and golf. He was a member of Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, where for the past thirty years he was seen most often playing the course with his wife, BJ. He became a member of Augusta National Golf Club in 1971, where he and Clifford Roberts developed a deep friendship, and where he served for over forty years as Chairman of the Practice Tee Committee for the Masters tournament. An unparalleled raconteur, he regaled his friends and family with unforgettable tales some of them only slightly embellished! George's love for the Lord grew steadily over the past few decades; there is no doubt where he is spending eternity. He will be tremendously missed by his wife, BJ, and his three sons: Reed (Catherine), George (Jan), and Phil (Kari). He is also survived by his Brother Edwin Wislar of Princeton, New Jersey, his seven grandchildren: Rose, Noah, Caroline, McCoy, Susannah, Madeline, and Benjamin, his first wife, Sue Dingman Wislar, and his six daughters and their families, who claim him as their own. In lieu of flowers, we would ask you to consider a gift to the Alliance Defending Freedom, www.adflegal.org/donate, 1-800-835-5233, or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, www.my.fca.org, 8701 Leeds Road, Kansas City, MO, 64129. Funeral arrangements are being made by McDonald and Son Funeral Home, 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA, 30040. 770-886-9899. A military burial will be held at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA, on Friday, June 9, 2017. The procession for all who plan to attend the ceremony will begin at McDonald and Son at 10:00 am. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 11, at 12:30, at Cherokee Town Club, 155 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA. Jackets required. Condolences may be expressed at www.mcdonaldandson.com. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home, 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 886.9899.