George Allen Haskins

Webster: Sunday, November 2, 2025, age 92. Predeceased by his parents, Ralph and Hilda Haskins; wife, Barbara; sister, Janet Mandeville. He leaves his children, Scott (Karen) and Steven (Nina) Haskins, Kimberly Cooney; grandchildren, Ryan and Lucas (Julia) Haskins, Vanessa (Derick) Chavez, Ashley and Justin Haskins, Claudia, Dennis George and Jack Cooney; sister, Ruthie Bass; nieces and nephews.
The family would like to acknowledge and thank the staff at Maplewood Nursing Home for caring for George like family in his final months.
Friends may call 12 noon to 2:00 PM Saturday, November 15 at Webster Methodist Church, 169 E. Main St., Webster, NY 14580, where his Memorial Service will follow at 2:00 PM. Interment at the convenience of the family at Webster Union Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Webster Methodist Church
The following synopsys is written by George....
Born February 22, 1933 (on George Washington's 201st birthday) to Ralph Warner Haskins and Hilda Marie Allen Haskins at Wesson Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. I went home from the hospital on March 4th, the day Franklin Delano Roosevelt was first inaugurated as President of the United States.
After early years living on a farm in Amherst MA and then five years in Brockton MA, I graduated third in the Class of 1950 from Westfield (MA) High School. Played tenor sax in the orchestra and band; was on the tennis team; named to Pro Merito (served as President of the Massachusetts Pro Merito Society my senior year when the annual state convention was held in Westfield; interestingly one of the Vice Presidents was future Dartmouth classmate Bruce Matheson); was in Hi-Y; named a 1949 delegate to Massachusetts Boys State, and active in Christian Endeavor at our church.
An important historical event occurred a week after my high school graduation. The Korean War began. Several of my high school classmates were drafted and its presence affected all of the young man from age 18 to 30 as to education, careers, and life in general. For college students, there was a test given which, grade 70 or better, granted you a draft postponement so long as you stayed in school. I passed the test, but had to register for the draft in February 1951 on turning 18.
I attended Dartmouth College from September 1950 to June 1954. I occupied 407 Streeter Hall for four years. I did not even rush for possible fraternity membership -- not interested. I was 'President' of the dorm in the third and fourth years and a member of the College's Interdormitory Council. When ROTC was brought to campus prior to my sophomore year, I signed up with the USAF component. Activities: sang and traveled with the glee club as a first tenor for three years; member of the AFROTC Rifle Team for three years; went to the weekly square dances and sang in the choir at the White Church; and participated in intramural football and softball.
Graduated June 13, 1954 with an AB degree and a major in Economics. The expected commission as a Second Lieutenant in the USAF was not forthcoming because the Korean War had ended and the military did not now need a flood of new officers. An offer was made of a two-year enlistment (four years being the usual term) in the service to satisfy the post-ROTC active duty commitment. My feeling was that political pressure was going to force the military to make good on the commissioning somehow. During that summer, such did occur. We would receive commissions in the National Guard as an alternative to the regular air force.
Because there could be a one year postponement of the two-year active duty military commitment, I had applied for and been accepted into the MBA study program at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN to start in June 1954. One of the reasons I chose IU was to acquaint myself with life in another part of the United States -- I had not been outside of New England and along the East Coast except for those Spring trips with the Glee Club. Lived in Rogers Center with other graduate students from all over the world and participated in the governing of that residential community. The focus of my academic program was management and finance. My excellent academic record there provided me with an assistantship with the Assistant Dean during my last semester. Received the MBA degree in June 1955.
Now it was time to fulfill my military obligation. I had received orders to report to Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY on June 15, 1955. This was the same facility where I had spent the four-week ROTC summer camp in 1953. I was assigned to the Air Research and Development Command organization on the base. (Command Headquarters were in Baltimore and there were several other centers like ours across the country.) The Air Material Command was designated as the base's 'owner' and we were one of several 'tenant' groups. This part of ARDC was primarily concerned with electronic (Radomes) communications research and testing. In addition to the labs, there was a fleet of airplanes for testing. My duty assignment was as Assistant Adjutant. The functions for which we were responsible included mail (classified and unclassified), information management policy, forms, printing, and publishing personnel orders.
Several months after being activated, the Federal Government did another about-face and changed our commissions to be in the regular air force.
When the Adjutant, a career Captain who had incurred the wrath of our commanding General, was reassigned, there was a period of several weeks before his replacement was available. I, as a First Lieutenant, became the Acting Adjutant.
Upon the arrival of my 'successor', I was reassigned to be the Commander of the ARDC's Headquarters Squadron Section on Griffiss. All enlisted personnel were assigned here for purposes of housing, meals, discipline, promotions, and any other applicable military aspects. In their work assignments, they reported to departmental supervisors -- both military and civilian. I was deactivated in June 1957 and placed in the inactive AF Reserve. One could apply to be assigned to an active reserve group, but it was not required and I was not interested.. Later, surprisingly, there were orders promoting me to Captain. I completed my military obligation in 1968.
In January 1957, in anticipation of a military discharge, I began following up on various leads I had for a career in the civilian society. Many of these contacts -- New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Connecticut -- had been originally made through job interviews at Indiana University. One was for a bank in 'hometown' Greenfield, Massachusetts.
I accepted a job with an independent company under the umbrella of Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY. Eastman Savings and Loan Association's offices were all within the EK footprint and acted like a credit union by offering banking services solely to the employees and families (world-wide) of Kodak. The initial task was offering services to customers in a branch office. This was followed by positions as collections manager, real estate appraiser, appraisal manager, branch manager, Vice President and Loan Officer, and, lastly, Vice President and Treasurer. I retired in 1991.
The trail to becoming a real estate appraiser required a series of courses which I took at what is now Rochester Institute of Technology and at Syracuse University. This training and my experience led to a professional designation as a Senior Residential Appraiser (SRA) from the Society of Residential Appraisers in 1966. In addition to the ES&L work, I was also able to be an independent appraiser of residential real estate on the side. This business continued, after ES&L retirement, until 2000. Within the professional organization (later renamed the Society of Real Estate Appraisers and then merged with the Appraisal Institute), I was president of the Rochester SREA chapter, and served four years on SREA's International Board of Governors representing District 19, which district included Central and Western New York and Eastern Canada.
My involvement with the Dartmouth community started with being a Class Agent for the first 49 years following graduation. I agreed to add a 50th year to that in 2020. I have been a member of both the Dartmouth Club of Rochester (NY) (sponsoring book awards to high school juniors at two schools -- one for more than 26 years), and of the LowCountry (SC) Dartmouth Club. I am also proud to be a member of the Harold Ripley Society -- having given to the Dartmouth Fund every year since graduation.
Married in June 1958 to Barbara Jane Eike of Rochester, a Kodak employee. Our first home was in the suburban Rochester community of Webster (named in 1840 for Daniel Webster, a famous son of Dartmouth College). Barbara was the mother of my three children -- Scott Warner born in 1959, Steven David born in 1963, and Kimberly Beth born in 1966. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1977. The offspring and their spouses provided me with eight grandchildren -- Ryan, Lucas, Vanessa, Ashley, Justin, Claudia, Dennis George, and Jack. Two subsequent marriages -- to Sheila Gerling (1980) and Irene Kirschner (1992) -- each ended in divorce. There were five step-children within those 11 and 27 year marriages whom I enjoyed having as part of my life and being a participant in their teen and adult years (Robert Gerling, James Gerling, Douglas Kirschner, Beth Kirschner, and Bryan Kirschner).
There was no Little League or other organized sports as I was growing up, but I played softball, tennis, and touch football in high school and college and, in the service, also took up bowling. The bowling continued in Rochester even beyond the ESL career -- a total of 44 years. Golf and skiing (cross country and downhill) came later. I'm still on the golf course. There have been team championships in all but skiing and tennis and individual titles in golf and bowling. Have had two holes-in-one on the golf courses at Seabrook Island, SC and one on the Webster NY course. Missed shooting my age by one golf stroke in each of the years I was 80 and 81. Still trying.
An avid Red Sox fan since 1944 -- famine to feast. Saw games in Fenway Park several times in the '40s. Also there in 2007 and 2008 with nine members of my sons' families.
Community involvement has always been part of the personal growing process and as a way of giving back. Participation in 33 years in Webster included: chairman Webster Board of Appeals (Zoning); director Webster Athletic Association; trustee Webster Presbyterian Church; Webster Community Chest fund drive chairman; and many years as a district committeeman on the Webster Republican Committee. The latter culminated with being the Executive Committeeman (Town Leader) and member of the Monroe County Republican Committee for three years. Later, I was a member of the New York State Republican Committee for a short time. I have also sung in the choirs of both the Webster Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church of Webster.
I have also volunteered as an on-course scorer at LPGA and Symetra women's golf events over a 16 year span in the Rochester area and at the Maplewood Nursing Home in Webster
For 22 years, I spent up to six months on Seabrook Island in South Carolina. This is a barrier island near beautiful Charleston. It has allowed me to play golf eleven months a year and avoid a ton of snow shoveling. At this location, I have sung with the Island Choraliers, helped build houses with Sea Islands Habitat for Humanity, served on a condo Board of Directors, and been involved with several task forces related to environmental matters. I was a co-founder of Seabrook Island Birders -- an organization which has grown to over 200 members concerned with birds and bird habitat. Birding has been a hobby since age six when a grandmother gave me a Roger Tory Peterson field guide book. I also have a passion for solving puzzles -- jigsaw, crossword, and sudoku.
I have traveled in all 50 states of the USA, eight of the Canadian Provinces, and five of the countries comprising Central America. Have been to England, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwa, Peru, the Galapagos, and numerous of the islands in the Caribbean. These experiences have enriched my life, which started in the midst of the Great Depression on a small farm in relatively rural New England, in many ways.