George Macomber, longtime resident of Concord and Boston, passed away on December 14th, 2015 at his home in Westwood MA. Son of Charles Clark Macomber and Janet Eaton Macomber, George was born in Boston MA on July 7, 1927, the day of his paternal grandfather's funeral. It was this grandfather who founded the George B.H. Macomber Company, which young George would later preside over, and which, under his leadership, became one of New England's most prominent and respected builders. Raised in Newton, Fitchburg and Winchendon, with summers in Wolfeboro and the mountains of New Hampshire, George was small and sickly as a young boy—traits he overcame and more than made up for as the years progressed. George became an avid ski racer during his early Eaglebrook School days. After graduating from Newton High School in 1944, George attended MIT, where he excelled at his engineering studies and expanded his prowess on the slopes as a member of the MIT ski team. Upon graduation, George begin working as a project engineer for the family business, in part because it was the only job he could get that would let him take off winters to compete for a spot on the U.S. national ski team. George qualified for two Olympic teams, in 1948 and 1952, and competed in the World Championships in Aspen CO in 1950. He won the U.S. National Combined (slalom and downhill) Championship in 1949. Once his competitive days were over, George remained involved with the ski racing world as member of the National Ski Association, and as president of the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Assocation (USEASA). He was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1973. While he was a student at MIT, George fell in love with fellow Newton native Ann Drummond Leonard, then a student at Smith College. The two were married in Francestown NH in apple blossom time, and were each other's constant companions for more than sixty years. Skiing and love of the outdoors continued to be a significant part of George's life, as he and three partners—Brooks Dodge, Malcolm McLane and Mack Beal—founded, developed and opened Wildcat Ski area in New Hampshire's White Mountains in 1958. George served as general manager for two years before returning to work for the family construction business. As president of the George B.H. Macomber Company, George oversaw an expansion of the family business in new and exciting directions. These included the construction of engineering marvels such as Eero Saarinen's famous "Yale Whale" hockey rink, along with other landmark buildings by world-renowned architects I.M. Pei, Louis Kahn and Paul Rudolph. George's proudest construction achievement was the work he did with architect Ben Thompson and developer James Rouse on Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace—one of the first and most successful historic revitalization projects in the US, which blazed a path for other cities to reutilize existing buildings in new and resourceful ways. Quincy Market, as it came to be known, was a major catalyst in the reclamation of downtown Boston's revitalized waterfront. In 1984, when the Olympic torch passed through Boston, it was George who carried the torch over the cobblestones of Quincy Marketplace. In addition to his role as a construction executive, George Macomber was busy on many other fronts, always "Plunging In," as he noted in his memoir. His work in the building industry was augmented by many of his real estate development partnerships, which included everything from subsidized housing to high tech office space to five star hotels. George loved the challenge of figuring things out, even when it cost him more than it earned him—like, for instance, when he bought the salvage rights to the historic HMS Lusitania, a project that fascinated him around the engineering feats required to investigate the ship's sunken treasure. George gave generously of himself as both a mentor and civic leader, and was active in many philanthropic organizations throughout his life, including stints as trustee chairman of Emerson Hospital, the New England Counsel, Boston Harbor Associates, and the Judge Baker Children's Guidance Center, to name but a few. He was also a longtime trustee of both the Eaglebrook School, a place that had meant so much to him when he was young, and of Andy's alma mater, the Winsor School. George was particularly proud of his MIT ties, and endowed a professorship in Construction Management there. As a proud citizen of Concord MA for three decades, the Macombers were famous for their annual Patriot's Day parade party. George was particularly delighted to have the marching band directors regularly stop at their Monument Street house to play for the gathered celebrants, and to receive one of George's famous bloody Marys for their musical efforts. For all his remarkable successes, nothing made George prouder than the accomplishments of his older son John (and wife Kristin) Macomber of Cambridge MA, his daughter Grace Macomber Bird (and husband Jerry Bird) of Boston, and his younger son Jory (and wife Martha) Macomber of Park City UT. George thoroughly enjoyed the wedding parties and ski trips and other delights that he and Andy shared with their adult kids and spouses. And nothing provided more fun for the next generation than the time spent on Lake Winnipesaukee with their beloved grandfather, playing his highly competitive version of croquet, helping to clear the "Georgie paths" through the woods for faster golf cart rides, and working together on his endless collection of puzzles. In addition to his wife, his children and their spouses, George is survived by his sister Gail Macomber Deaver of Palm City, Florida, and by his grandchildren Ian and Eric Macomber, Derek, Meredith and Elena Bird, and Sam, Clark and Anna Macomber, along with multiple generations of cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at the First Parish in Concord MA, Unitarian-Universalist, on Saturday April 9, 2016 at two o'clock. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that gifts be made to whichever of George's many causes are closest to the donor's heart.