George Albert Dawson

George Albert Dawson age 76, passed away in New Zealand on November 4, 2011 of heart disease after a valiant battle with Alzheimers. He was born in 1934 in Newcastle, England to George and Elizabeth Dawson and had one sibling, Celia, who predeceased him by less than a month. He was a loving husband and best friend to his wife, Brenda with whom he recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. He was a proud and loving father to Fiona and Helen and father-in-law to Steve and Judd. He was a special grandfather to Cannon, Ashton, Lindsay and Lydia. George was passionate about science, physics and chemistry (atmospheric physics and lightning especially). He was a gifted teacher and researcher and influenced the lives and careers of many young people. He taught at Keele University (England), Cal Berkeley and the University of Arizona for many years, where he became a Professor Emeritus. George loved to travel and divided his time between Arizona, Hawaii and New Zealand. He enjoyed participating in sports (soccer, golf and badminton), loved hiking and the outdoors (except gardening). He loved music, animals, antiques and collecting and repairing French clocks and musical instruments. He was a gentle soul and forever an optimist; when asked how he was feeling, he always replied, "never better", even in these latter months. George was a loving family member, accomplished scholar, sportsman and, most of all, a gentleman. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Alzheimers Auckland at www.alzheimers.co.nz.