George R. Creel Jr.

Family-Placed Funeral Notice

GEORGE R. CREEL, Jr. Colonel George R. Creel, Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.) passed away on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at the Jupiter Hospital after a brief illness, with his family by his side. Colonel Creel was a resident of Heritage Oaks, Tequesta, for the past 18 years, having relocated from Fairfax, Virginia. He was born December 26, 1915 in Birmingham, Alabama. Colonel Creel graduated with a BS in Economics from Auburn University and was a Distinguished Military Graduate, ROTC. Upon graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, serving 33 years with the United States Army as a Regular Army Officer, retiring in 1969. Colonel Creel received his Master's Degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin. He was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Field Artillery School, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. During his military career, Colonel Creel served under General Douglas MacArthur at General Headquarters, Tokyo; General Omar Bradley, the Army's Chief of Staff in Washington; and General Matthew Ridgeway at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe, (SHAPE) in Paris. He served as the Chief of Information for Military District of Washington, the Chief of Information for the Sixth Army in San Francisco, and the Information Chief for the United Nations Command in Seoul, Korea. Colonel Creel returned to Washington in 1964 as Assistant Chief of Information for the Department of the Army. He received the Joint Service Commendation Medal from the Department of Defense as well as the Legion of Merit, one of the military's highest honors. Upon retiring from the military, Colonel Creel was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon as Assistant Secretary, Director of Public Affairs, for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C. He served under the Secretary, former Governor of Michigan and Presidential candidate, George Romney. After serving in the Nixon Administration, he joined the New York public relations firm of Carl Byoir and Associates. He was a member of the National Press Club and wrote a weekly column entitled “Behind the Scenes in American Business” which was syndicated and distributed to more than 425 newspapers. He was the recipient of the Wilbur Wright Award, presented by the Aviation Space Writers Association and the Silver Anvil Award presented by the Public Relations Society of America. While living in the Washington D.C. area, he taught and lectured in the fields of journalism and public relations at both the University of Maryland and the Communications Department of the American University. Colonel Creel is survived by his loving wife, Louise Cornish Creel, son George Robert Creel III, and daughter-in-law, Karen. Funeral service will be held at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 250 Center Street, Jupiter, Florida, at 2pm on Saturday, July 15, 2006. The family suggests contributions to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation, 1210 S. Old Dixie Highway, Jupiter, FL 33458. To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries