George Newall

George R. Newall, 88, Last Surviving Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Schoolhouse Rock dies November 30, 2022.
George Newall was born in Lakewood NJ June 17, 1934. His father George Newall Sr. was a builder in and around the Jersey Shore and his mother Louise, nee DeNyse was on the local school board in Brick. George enrolled at Florida State University in 1955 after spending two years in the Army's 11th Airborne Division Band at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He studied composition with John Boda, winning Florida Composers League awards in 1958,1959 and 1960. After graduation, Newall moved to New York City and took a $50 per week job in the mailroom of an advertising agency. Shortly afterward, he became a copywriter starting an advertising career that would span almost forty years. His agency experience includes stints at some of the most illustrious in the industry: Ogilvy and Mather; McCaffrey and McCall; Wells, Rich, Greene; and Grey Advertising.
While Co-Creative Director of McCaffrey and McCall, Newall "invented" Hai Karate, an off-the-wall spoof of cliche after-shave lotion advertising. Hai Karate became the most successful men's toiletry introduction of the sixties.
In 1970, Newall became the catalyst in the creation of ABC's Schoolhouse Rock. McCaffrey and McCall President, David McCall asked him to help develop the concept of setting rote learning to rock music. Newall, a jazz pianist himself, found Bob Dorough, a composer of uniquely eccentric jazz tunes and lyrics and introduced him to McCall and Newall's creative partner, Art Director-cartoonist Tom Yohe. Later that year, the group took their educational idea to Disney CEO Michael Eisner, then Director of Children's Programming at the ABC Television Network. Eisner immediately bought the idea and in 1972, 3-minute Schoolhouse Rock segments starting running on ABC seven times each weekend.
In 1978, Newall left McCaffrey and McCall with his Co-Creative Director, Tom Yohe, to start Newall and Yohe, Inc., intent on producing animated educational programs for commercial television. In addition to winning four EMMY's for Schoolhouse Rock, Newall and Yohe also won an EMMY for Drawing Power, a Saturday morning educational series they created for NBC. Newall and Yohe won numerous other awards for its work, including EMMY nominations for its Nutrition Spots for ABC, The Metric Marvels for NBC, "When You Turn Off Your Set, Turn On a Book" for NBC, and an Action for Childrens' Television Act Award for (in the words of the citation): "Cartoons with a Conscience," animated segments in "Drawing Power," which prove that cartoons can be nonracist, nonsexist, informative... and funny."
In the mid eighties, Newall returned to advertising at Wells, Rich, Greene, where he added to the long list of movie and television personalities he has created commercials for by writing twenty-two spots for Alan AIda extolling the educational virtues of Atari Computers.
In 2002 The Walt Disney Company released a Schoolhouse Rock 30th Anniversary Edition DVD featuring the complete library of episodes. Newall composed a new song for the event, I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College, an explanation of the electoral college. Disney filmed the recording session for the new song for inclusion in the "behind the scenes" section of the two-disk set. Over one million copies of the DVD were sold over the Christmas holidays.
Despite not having been on the air since the mid-nineties, Schoolhouse Rock remains a nostalgic staple for Generation X'ers and their children. It also continues to garner critical acclaim including: a "Kids First" Award from The Coalition for Quality Children's Media, being selected as one of "100 Musical Moments that Rocked TV" by VH-1 2003, one of "Best 100 Disks Ever" by CD ROM Today; "100 Music Moments that Rocked TV" and "One of the 50 Greatest Cartoons Ever" by TV Guide Magazine.
In honor of the 40th anniversary, in 2013 the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center hosted a free singalong featuring musical director Bob Dorough. To date it was the venues largest attended event.
The Walt Disney company will air a national primetime singalong in early 2023 to commemorate the 50th anniversary Schoolhouse Rock. In addition they are re-releasing "The Official Schoolhouse Rock Guide", by George Newall and Tom Yohe, and an adult coloring book featuring all the Schoolhouse Rock characters.
An avid golfer George joined Winged Foot Golf Club in the 1960's. Upon moving to Hastings on Hudson in 1988 he joined the St. Andrews Golf Club in Hastings on Hudson where he served on the Executive Committee and remained an active member until his death.
He is survived by his wife, artist and singer Lisa Maxwell of Hastings On Hudson, and Shelter Island, NY and stepson, Lake Wolosker of New York City, his sisters, Jessie Newall Bissey, of Brick, New Jersey: Kathy Newall Hogan (Garry) of Aliquippa PA; Anne Newall Kimmell (Tom) of Longmont, Colorado and 16 nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at The St. Andrews Golf Club, 10 Old Jackson Avenue Hastings On Hudson, NY Dec. 10 from 1-4pm.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the ASPCA https://www.aspca.org/