George B. Du Bois Jr.

1934 - 2025

George Bache Du Bois Jr. passed away peacefully on October 11th in Frederick, MD, at the age of 91. He was from the tenth generation of a family of French Huguenots who settled in New Paltz, NY, in 1660. George was born to Col. George Du Bois, an engineer and decorated veteran from WWI and WWII, and Frances Brown Du Bois, the daughter of Federal Judge Brown of Atlanta.

George was raised in Chevy Chase and attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., where he was first in his class. He earned 3 university degrees: a Bachelor's in philosophy from Cornell University, a JD (Law) from the University of VA, and a PhD in history from the University of MD. He taught law at the University of VA for one year, then went to Paris, France, where he worked for Les Editions Tropicales, a music publishing company that was adapting American songs for France, where he wrote contracts.

There he met the French Executive Secretary Daniele Sureau, whom he married in December 1959 and brought to America. They had 2 daughters: Christine Du Bois-Buxbaum (husband Larry Buxbaum) and Valerie Du Bois Swan (husband Jeff Swan) and 4 grandchildren: Rebecca and Marielle Buxbaum, Michael and Claire Swan. George was preceded in death by his sister Connie Hansen and is survived by many nephews and nieces in France and 3 nieces in the USA: Barbara Higgins, Reda Chambers, and Laura Bird.

Back from Paris, he worked at the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., writing briefs for labor cases. Then he met the inventor of clam-flavored chips and invested in his company, which named him their CEO, prompting the family to move to Cambridge, MD on the eastern shore. When the factory closed, George taught Social Studies and Spanish in several schools: Friends School in Philadelphia, Germantown Academy in PA, Landon School in Bethesda, and Yeshiva High School for Boys and Yeshiva High School for Girls in Silver Spring.

George was a member of several clubs in Frederick, where he and Daniele retired in 1996: Bird Club, Bridge Club, Investment Club, Opera Club, Spring Ridge FAN Club, Alliance Francaise de Frederick and especially the Torch Club, where he and Daniele brought many new members and where George presented several papers which were published in the Torch Magazine. He was the co-founder of 2 new Torch Clubs: in Leesburg and in Westminster. He authored 2 books, the fruit of 8 years of research: "Cross-Class Alliances and the Birth of Modern Liberalism--Maryland's Workers, 1865-1916" and 'Understanding China: Dangerous resentments."

George was not only a brilliant scholar, but a kind and generous man with a great sense of humor, a love of people, art, animals, nature, coffee and Chinese food. He read to the blind and wrote wills for free. He learned to say "thank you" in dozens of languages. He taught his children bird watching and took his family on fantastic trips to France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Canada, India, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and nearly all the U.S. states. He served in the Army Reserve. He raised money to create a National Park in Belize. His philosophy of life was "Do a little good and have a little fun."

The family thanks the Northampton Manor Nursing & Rehab Center, Heartfields Assisted Living at Frederick, and Frederick Health Hospice for their good care of George Du Bois.

There will be no funeral, as George gave his body to the University of MD Medical School. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date. Donations in his memory can be sent to the World Wildlife Fund (WorldWildlife.org). George B. Du Bois Jr.