George Paul Wilson

1933 - 2021

George Paul Wilson, PhD, FASA
October 5, 1933 - July 11, 2021
George was born to Mabel and Paul Wilson in his grandparents' home in Bondville, Illinois. He spent his early years in Southern Illinois before moving first to Visalia, California, then Yuba City, California where he graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1954.
After graduation, George attended Yuba College, then U.C. Berkeley, where he received both bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, also becoming a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After receiving his graduate degree, George worked at Boeing Airplane Company for two years, where he met his future wife, Avon Mary Johnstone. At Boeing, he worked on noise control and vibration isolation issues related to the B-52 aircraft, developing the design criteria of a future acoustics lab. He returned to UC Berkeley for his Ph.D., where he also instructed mechanical engineering, and developed a class still included in the curriculum entitled 173 Fundamentals of Acoustics. In addition to his doctoral thesis, he designed, specified and oversaw construction of two separate acoustics laboratories.
Upon graduation, and unable to find employment in his area of expertise, George launched his own independent acoustical consulting firm. Dr. George Paul Wilson founded Wilson Ihrig & Associates in 1966, serving as president until his retirement in 2003. He consulted on all areas of noise and vibration control, and acoustic design. Under his leadership, Wilson Ihrig gained national and international prominence and a strong and loyal client base in the San Francisco Bay Area where the firm is headquartered. His accomplishments in the field of acoustics were recognized by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) which granted him Fellow status in 1980; by the National Council of Acoustical Consultants (NCAC) when it awarded him the C. Paul Boner Award in 1992; and his recent award of the NCAC Laymon Miller Award in 2018. Some of George's accomplishments include early contracts with the BART rail system, leading to developing rail systems in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Toronto, Atlanta, London, Seoul, Athens, and Hong Kong; Development of the "Floating Slab" concept for isolating train vibration; Using the vibration isolation concept to creating "box within a box" design for concert halls, such as Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
George loathed injustice or inequality and could paint a picket sign like a champ. He loved ice cream, and tinkering on 1964 ½ Ford Mustangs. He had eclectic music tastes, and loved Prokofiev, Pink Floyd, and Bluegrass – played at full volume. George is survived by his wife of 63 years, Avon Mary, his daughter Alisa Avon Tangredi, and his son-in-law, Bart William Tangredi. He is pre-deceased by his daughter, Alena Kathleen Wilson.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Dr. George Paul Wilson's name to Hospice East Bay, or to your favorite charity.
A memorial service will be announced soon.