GEORGE DENNY

DENNY--George III. George Parkman Denny III died peacefully surrounded by his family on February 16, 2024, at the age of 78. The cause of death was lung disease and cancer. George grew up in Old Westbury, Long Island. Though he was a less than stellar student at Groton School, George snuck his way into Harvard College. There, he became President of The Hasty Pudding and joined the Porcellian Club, where he forged lifelong friendships. After being rejected the first time, he was accepted into Harvard Business School, where he excelled, earning his M.B.A. with distinction as a Baker Scholar. In 1991, George founded Halpern, Denny & Co., an investment group based in Boston with his partner, John Halpern. Prior to that, George was the Managing Director for Bain Holdings. For many years, George was a partner of Bain & Co. and headed its west coast and Japanese operations. George was deeply committed to public service. He served on many nonprofit boards, including the Trust for Public Land from 1990 to 2013, The Natural Resource Defense Council Action Fund, and on the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. From 1990-1999, George served as a Trustee of The Park School in Brookline, MA, where he raised his children with wife Joan FitzGerald. George loved wild places. In 1986, he purchased a 6,000- acre property in northern California called Goose Valley Ranch. With the instrumental help of Ted and Dusty deBraga, he transformed the ranch into a successful cattle and agricultural operation, as well as a refuge for wildlife. George became a devoted steward of that land - he loved the remoteness of it most especially. George "caught the bug" for sailing at a young age, becoming a cruising skipper in 1967. He was happiest aboard a sailboat in a stiff breeze - with friends or single-handed. His friends recall the enormous grin on George's face while at the helm of his beloved yawl Restive. He spent many days and nights cruising the Gulf of Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. As captain of Restive, he completed twelve Newport/Marion-Bermuda races. George's crews fondly remember the traditional "Gulf Stream breakfast:" a beer and a Hostess donut. George will be remembered for the gap-toothed grin of his youth, his intense love for the ocean and of remote places, and most of all for his deep and abiding friendships. He was optimistic, quick-witted, generous, thoughtful, inquisitive, cordial, and unafraid. George was a thoughtful listener, deploying a wise word, key insight, or dryly funny observation with perfect precision. George is survived by his wife of 18 years, Leigh; his children Frances, George, and Amos; his granddaughter Virginia; his stepson Hunter; his sister Phyllis and brother Daniel; and his devoted friends Barbara Mattaliano and Christine Fifield. He is predeceased by his brother, Breck. A celebration of George's life will be held at The Harvard Memorial Church in Cambridge, MA on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Trust for Public Land in George's honor.